Thank You For the Music
by Toons Girl
Summary: My own take on a midquel of Coco. After his adventure in the Land of the Dead, Miguel and his family learn about their family history while proving to Santa Cecilia that Hector is a true musician. But not everybody will believe them so easily. Meanwhile, in the Land of the Dead, Hector warms up to his family but is still nervous around Imelda. Ernesto wants revenge.
1. Thank You for the Music

Miguel Rivera was standing in the room, looking at the family ofrenda. With assistance from Papa Enrique, they had positioned the picture of Imelda back in its proper place. The boy and his father were happy to see that Imelda and Coco weren't the only ones on the ofrenda. Long ago, the face of the matriarch's husband had been ripped apart from the family photo in anger and heartbreak. Now his face has been restored to the picture, thanks to his daughter who had been keeping it safe for years.

"He's finally home," Miguel said softly, looking at Papa Hector.

"Si, mijo," Enrique nodded. "Back where he truly belongs." The man wrapped his arm around his son, still looking proudly at the picture. The 12-year-old boy turned to face his dad.

"Papa?"

"Si, Miguel?"

"If Mama Coco had been keeping her Papa's picture this whole time, how come she never revealed it, until now?"

The question threw Enrique off a little. Usually, he is good at answering his child's difficult questions but not this one. Like the rest of the Riveras, he was clueless about Papa Hector or the nature of his relationship with Mama Imelda (before the separation and misunderstanding happened).

"Yo no se, Miguel," he truthfully answered. The man paused before speaking again. "Perhaps, Mama Coco was afraid that someone would try to get rid of it." He winced as he remembered how his mom crushed his son's guitar. Yes, he understood the music ban but breaking someone's guitar was too harsh. Who knew what would happen if his mother tried to burn Papa Hector's picture? He shook the horrifying thoughts away. "Mama Coco never had the courage to mention about her father until you sang to her. And it was a good thing you did!"

"De verdad?"

"Si, for a long time, we, especially your Abuelita thought that music would make Mama Coco sad but it made her happy!" They shared a hug. For once, he was glad that his offspring's rebellion did something good for once.

"Enrique!" a feminine voice shouted nearby, in the family courtyard.

"I better go and see what your mother needs-you can stay here longer if you want."

"Okay Papa!"

After Enrique ran off to help his wife, the youngster looked back at the picture of his great-great grandparents.

"You're home, Papa Hector. You're finally home!" he smiled wistfully. "Just like what you wanted." His eyes caught the white guitar. It was lying nicely at the bottom of the ofrenda. The boy picked the instrument up and strummed a few strings. "You know, for all my life, I have always wondered why was I so drawn to music when I was supposed to hate it. I thought there was something wrong with me. But now that I know you played music long ago, I realized that it's okay to sing and play music! Thank you for understanding me. Because of you, Papa Hector, I don't feel so alone anymore." His fingers continued to strum the strings before he began to vocalize a slow tune.

 **I'm nothing special, in fact I'm a bit of a bore**  
 **If I tell a joke, you've probably heard it before**  
 **But I have a talent, a wonderful thing**  
 **Now everyone listens when I start to sing**  
 **I'm so grateful and proud**  
 **All I want is to sing it out loud**

 **So I say**  
 **Thank you for the music, the songs I'm singing**  
 **Thanks for all the joy they're bringing**  
 **Who can live without it, I ask in all honesty**  
 **What would life be?**  
 **Without a song or a dance what are we?**  
 **So I say thank you for the music**  
 **For giving it to me**

 **Coco says I was a dancer before I could walk**  
 **She says I began to sing long before I could talk**  
 **And I've often wondered, how did it all start?**  
 **Who found out that nothing can capture a heart**  
 **Like a melody can?**  
 **Now, I know who you are, I'm a fan**

 **So I say**  
 **Thank you for the music, the songs I'm singing**  
 **Thanks for all the joy they're bringing**  
 **Who can live without it, I ask in all honesty**  
 **What would life be?**  
 **Without a song or a dance what are we?**  
 **So I say thank you for the music**  
 **For giving it to me**

 **I've been so lucky, I am the boy with one dimple**  
 **I wanna sing it out to everybody**  
 **What a joy, what a life, what a change!**

 **Thank you for the music, the songs I'm singing**  
 **Thanks for all the joy they're bringing**  
 **Who can live without it, I ask in all honesty**  
 **What would life be?**  
 **Without a song or a dance what are we?**  
 **So I say thank you for the music**  
 **For giving it to me!**

 **So I say thank you for the music**

 **For giving it to me!**

He finished the last note softly and sweetly. Miguel's eyes widened when he heard clapping behind him. He swiftly turned around and saw that it was Mama Coco and Abuelita. The former was the one clapping.

"Oh that was hermoso, Miguelito!" Mama Coco gushed. "Wasn't it, Elena?" Her daughter nodded. It was still hard to believe that she could listen to music when she had been forbidden to listen it for so long. But she would try to accept music, for Coco's sake.

"Gracias!" Miguel blushed.

"Miguel, it is time for bed!" Abuelita said.

"Okay but can I say goodbye to the family?" the boy asked, referring to the pictures.

"Si," Abuelita nodded. She chuckled to herself. It was strange that long ago, her grandson did not show interest in the Dia De Muertos holiday. But now, he's been asking stories about his family, especially Papa Hector.

After Miguel bid goodnight to each picture, he walked out of the ofrenda room with his two grandmothers.

"Mama Coco, can you tell more stories about Papa Hector?"

"!Por supuesto, Miguelito! I will tell you and the family everything you need to know!"


	2. Awkwardness and Chaos

As Mama Coco told Miguel stories about Papa Hector, Dante decided to take a trip to the Land of the Dead. He walked from the house and traveled to the cemetery. He spotted Mama Imelda's grave and disappeared in a flurry of golden flower petals. Moments later, the xolo arrived at his destination in his alebrije form. He traveled past many colorful stacked houses until he came across a long brown ranch. It was the same size as Miguel's house. The sign read: "La Casa De Rivera Zapato."

The dog entered into the house through the doggy door. Walking through the hallway, his eyes gazed around the shop. On the left side of the room was Papa Julio and Tia Victoria adding new shoes to a long shelf of men's brown shoes.  
The right side showed Rosita organizing the shoes for women on another long shelf.  
Last, on the upper right corner of the room, Imelda, who was sitting by her desk, trying to separate the finished shoe orders from the unfinished ones into two piles. Once the task is done, there will be some sewing to do. The dog looked between a mountain-sized pile of mixed slips and two neat small piles of finished and unfinished orders, and saw how much work needed to be done. So did Papa Hector when he came downstairs from his guest bedroom. After sending Miguel home, Imelda had picked her husband up in bridle style, with assistance from her brothers. Rosita whistled for Pepita and she flew back to them. After they laid him on the large feline's back, the rest of the Riveras climbed on, and they flew off. Imelda held onto Hector, pleading him not to leave, and apologizing to him. Immediately, Hector interrupted her not to apologize to him-it wasn't her fault that he was being forgotten. It was him and Ernesto that were at fault. As soon as the family arrived at their household, Imelda picked Hector up and carried him into her bedroom and laid him on her bed. Then Hector closed his eyes. Just when Imelda feared that he was going to turn into dust, the yellow light stopped glowing. He didn't die but he still felt extremely exhausted. For a week, he had been sleeping in Imelda's bed until he woke up yesterday. He had felt guilty for sleeping so long but nobody blamed him. They knew how much strength he had to recover from almost dying.  
The lanky skeleton tapped his wife on the shoulder, startling her. Her yelp caused him to jump back a little but he quickly recovered with a nervous chuckle. If the matriarch had flesh, she would be blushing.

"Hola Imelda, do you want some help?" he asked smiling.

"No gracias...I am good," Imelda answered shyly, before turning back to her work. Her ghostly heart was pounding, and her bony hands felt clammy. The matriarch of the family did not notice her long-lost husband's smile turning upside down or his eyes casting down.

"Oh...okay. Just thought I'd asked."

Papa Julio had witnessed the scene and felt a bit sorry for them. Ever since the family brought Hector back home, the two had been shy around with each other. He leaned over and whispered to Victoria to take Hector to the back room. His daughter nodded, walked up to the tall skeleton, and grabbed his arm.

"Perdóname Hector! I could use your help in the back room!"

Victoria led Hector through the hallway, past the kitchen, and into the back room. The two didn't notice Mama Imelda banging her head on the table, muttering "Yo soy un idiota! Idiota, idiota, idiota!" She didn't know why she answered like that.

In the back room, the musician was mesmerized by everything Victoria was showing him from the tools to supplies of leather. He also saw many footwear machines.  
"This is where we make our shoes," Victoria explained. She demonstrated to one of the footwear machines. "Let me show you how this one works."

So for an hour, Hector's granddaughter demonstrated the process of making a shoe pattern. Hector observed her hand making, and took down notes as she talked.

"Now you try!" the forty-five woman smiled, handing him some leather. Hector did as he told, putting the leather into the machine. He remembered the steps but when he finally finished making his first shoe patterns, the results were not good.

"Um...what do you think?" he chuckled nervously. His shoes were bunched up and bumpy instead of smooth and clean like Victoria's.

Victoria's bony face turned green. "I think I just had a baby barf!" She leaned over and vomited in a paper bag.

Hector patted her on the back for a few minutes until, he felt his arms being pulled by a pair of arms-or rather, two pairs of arms, to another area of the room.

"Oye Hector!" the twins bellowed. "You are just what we need!"

"For what?" Hector asked, confused.

"For our new product!" They shouted, excitedly. They showed him something that was covered by a blanket. Felipe pulled the blanket off to reveal their greatest invention ever. "Behold!"

Both Hector and Victoria observed a pair of boots with wheels and small rockets.

"What is it?" The musician asked.

"That's what I like to know," his granddaughter added, skeptically.

"Glad you asked!" Felipe grinned, proudly.

"They are..." Oscar announced.

"THE GO-GO BOOTS!" they announced, waving their hands in the air. "WOOHOOO!"

"Oh boy!" Victoria shook her head. Her tios were always conjuring up weird shoes that would boost up the family shoe business, much to Mama Imelda's chagrin.

"What do they do?" Hector questioned, innocently.

"They make you go fast!" Felipe answered.

"Really fast!" Oscar added.

"Never will you have to worry about-" Felipe started.

-"being late to your destination!" Oscar finished.

In a flash, they strapped the boots on Hector's feet. Their brother-in-law studied the strange shoes, with a skeptical look.

"Aren't they similar to roller skates?"

"Nonsense!" Oscar scoffed. "Roller skates are for leisure activity. Go-go boots are for punctuality!"

Felipe pulled out a small rectangular remote control. "And you are our first customer!"

The twins shared a gleeful look (which made their grand-niece bite her fingers) before Felipe pressed the big red button on the remote. "All systems go!" They yelled.

Hector let out a yelp as his feet went skating around the room. He was zooming around so fast that Victoria and the twins's eyes followed him in circles. "Aaaaaaaaaaaah!"

"Wow, míralo ir!" Oscar commented in awe. His twin nodded.

"I can see that!" the spectacled woman frowned. "Now can you two stop this silly test, before it gets out of hand?"

"Not yet!" Oscar held a finger up, making a point. He took the remote from Felipe and fiddled around with the small green buttons. "Let's see what happens when he goes in a different direction at that same pace!"

At the remote's command, Hector's shoes zoomed him out of the back room. They watched him skating and yelling through the hallway, and into the main room. Things seemed to be going well. Just then, Hector's skates sended him crashing into Imelda, who let out a yelp, knocking her off her seat.

"Turn it off!" Victoria hissed to the boys. She was mortified to see her grandparents flipping around on the floor. "Turn it off!"

"We're trying!" The twins whispered back. Panicking, they couldn't remember where on their gizmo, was the off button.

Hector tried to get up but the skates got himself all tangled up while Imelda scooted away from him. His feet ended up kicking the desk, causing the remaining papers to fly off her desk.

Finally, Oscar looked under the remote, found a black switch, and switched it off. The skates stopped working.  
Everybody just stared at what had just happened. Although Mulio and Rosita had seen the twins' inventions fail before, this one was the worst. Dante hid behind one of the counter where Julio was standing.

"Ay, Carumba!" Hector cursed, as he took those odd skates off. "These things are horrible!"

"Aye aye aye!" Imelda cried. "My desk, my sewing machine! No puedo creer esto! No puedo creer esto!"  
The shoemaker stared at her fallen desk. Her sewing machine broke and her receipts had flown everywhere. Immediately she began trying to fix her sewing machine.

The musician turned around and immediately began lifting up the desk.

"Oh Lo siento, Imelda!" he began. After setting the desk to back its original position, he picked up some of the papers. "I was trying on your brothers' skates and they went out of control! I never meant for this to happen!" He saw his wife struggling to put some of the pieces back to her broken sewing machine.

"Here, let me help you," Hector spoke softly, after placing some papers on the desk. He was about to touch one of the fallen pieces of the machinery-only to be snatched away from the shoemaker.

"I'm fine!" she grumbled.

"Imelda-"

"I SAID 'I'M FINE!'"

The musician flinched at her harsh attitude and backed up away from her as much as he could. He had never felt so embarrassed in his life!  
"I see, Imelda."  
Silently, he walked to the front door. He believed walking away would make her feel better-just like it always did whenever he had tried talking to her. Or so he thought.

Imelda snapped out of grumbling the moment she heard her husband walking away. "Wait, Hector wait!" Imelda called out to him. But it was too late, her husband had walked out the door. The Skeleton woman began to panic. He was gone. He left her. Again. "Oh no, what I have done?"

"I'll go check on him!" Julio assured her, before rushing out through the door.

Rosita put her hands on her mother-in-law's shoulders, trying to soothe her. "Don't worry, he can't be that far!"

"Oh I messed up!" Imelda cried. "What if he doesn't come back?"

"Julio will make sure he comes back!"

"You can thank your brothers for making your husband leave," Victoria spoke up, glaring at the twins.  
Imelda swiftly turned around and glared daggers at her brothers.

"Wellllll…..," Felipe trailed off, failing to give an excuse. "Back to the drawing board!" He and Oscar dashed out of the room as fast as they could.

"Not so fast, you two!" Victoria scolded, running after them.

Rosita rolled her eyes, before continuing to massage Imelda's shoulders.

"All due with respect, Mama Imelda, but I have seen that you have been acting strange with Hector. Whenever he is around, you seem to be flustered or anxious with him. Now we know he is harmless, so que pasa?"

Imelda did not like to talk about her feelings very much. She has always been a proud woman with a stiff upper lip.

"Nada," she responded, stubbornly.

But Rosita raised an eyebrow at the woman, causing the stubborn shoemaker to recoil. Perhaps, people can see through her mask this time.

"I don't know how to act around with him!" she sighed, feeling exasperated. "Once upon a time, I was in love with him. Then I hated him because I stupidly thought he abandoned me and Coco for good! Now that I know the true reason he never came home, I am not sure where he and I stand."

"Do you still love him?" Rosita questioned, hesitantly. She finished her massage.

"Si!" Imelda shouted. "Why do you think I never remarried!" The shoemaker gasped and raised her hands to her mouth. Her eyes darted from left to right. "Nobody else heard that, right?"

"No," Rosita answered. "But since you still love him, like you said, why do you still feel uncomfortable with him?"

"We cannot go back to the way things were because it has been ninety years, and I am no longer the same living woman he used to know!" Imelda shouted, waving her arms. She sat down on one of the chairs nearby on the men's shoes shelf. She put her head in her hands. "Besides, he probably wants nothing to do with me anymore. I almost stupidly, caused his Finale Death."

Dante flew up to the head of the family, and landed by her feet. He put his head on her lap for comfort. This made the woman smile sadly, as she rubbed the dog's head, gently.

"It wasn't your fault, you had no idea!" Rosita disagreed, immediately. "None of us did! Si, you and Hector had been separated for such a long time, but that doesn't mean you two cannot start over. Why not try taking things slow?"

Imelda mulled over what her daughter-in-law told her. Her ghostly heart fluttered as she recalled how she referred to Hector as "the love of her life." She hadn't mean to say that out loud! At least, within Hector's earshot. She also remembered her heart soaring when she sang to him and flew into his arms, after retrieving the photo from that bastardo. when Hector came close to dying, the shoemaker had never been so afraid in her afterlife. She had stood by his bedside while he slept, waiting for him to wake up. When he finally, rose up, the Rivera woman was so relieved that she hugged him. But she quickly pulled away because the musician was still slightly in pain in his chest.

Imelda just hoped that Hector would give her another chance.

* * *

Lucky for Imelda, Hector hadn't traveled far. He only went out through the main entrance gate and sat down on the pavement. The musician felt very bad about what happened today. Ever since he woke up yesterday, Hector wanted to get to know his family, including his wife. The other members were quick to accept him, much to his surprise. He thought that he had to work hard to earn their love and trust. After getting out of bed, Rosita immediately took him into the kitchen and cooked up many tamales for him to eat. The twins said they had a lot of things to say to him: how much they miss him! How much they miss pulling pranks with him on locals in Santa Cecilia! Victoria was a bit skeptical-for years, she and her sister, Elena, had visioned him to be cold, careless, conceited, and thoughtless. Her words, not Imelda's. But after hearing the truth, she had become curious about her Abuelito-the real him. Julio seemed nervous-although Rosita told him that was just how her brother always acts. So, he seemed at ease with the rest of his family. Hector just wished he could say the same about Imelda. There was always tension in the air whenever he's with her.

"Papa Hector?"

The patriarch turned to the sound of the voice. He was surprised to see Julio sitting next to him.

"Hola, Julio."

"Everything all right?" Julio asked. "Boy that was some kind of drama, huh?" He chuckled. His grin turned upside down when he saw his father-in-law still looking upset. "Que pasa?"

"Why do I always mess up?" Hector sighed, kicking some imaginary dust.

"Now don't think like that, you did nothing wrong!" Julio comforted him. "Mama Imelda was just stressed out and not used to having people help her. Even with us around."

"What can I do to redeem myself in her eyes?" Hector pondered. "I am not sure how to act around with her."

"Well, do you still love her?"

"Por supuesto que sí!" Héctor answered, immediately. "I loved her so much that I tried to come back home to her! I only wish that Ernesto didn't trick me! He was the reason why she resented me for so long-even when I tried talking to her before Miguel dropped by!" He put his head in his hands.

"Oh dear!" Julio uttered, putting his hand on his hat. Like the rest of the family, Julio was very shocked when he found out about Ernesto's cruel intentions toward Hector. The fact that the former idol used to be his in-law's friend was even a bigger shock! How could someone, whom Hector considered as a brother, poison him? It would be like him trying to kill Rosita! He shuddered.

"But what is the use?" Hector continued. "It has been a century and sometimes I wondered if she is still love with me-or even wants me back! I am not even the same man she used to know before I died!"

"Don't worry," Julio smiled, gently, patting on Hector's back. "Even if it has been years and one of you has changed, that doesn't mean you two cannot start over. Get to know each other. Create new memories. You just need to give Mama Imelda a chance."

Hector thought of what Julio recited to him. He remembered how giddy he felt when his wife called him the "love of her life." Or when she jumped into his arms and they twirled around. To him, it was truly amazing that she could still sing and dance like an angel, after a century of no music. Also, he could not deny the bubbly feeling when his wife hugged him in bed-he just had to have her release him because his chest was hurting.  
"You are right," he uttered, smiling a bit. "I just hope Imelda will give me a chance."

"She will," Julio encouraged him. "Just give her a chance too! As long as you take two take things slow, what could possibly go wrong?"

* * *

Little did the Rivera family know, that somewhere far away from their shoe shop, was a skeleton, who wanted revenge on them. The tall and buffed up skeleton had crawled out from underneath the bell. It took him a week to get out because the bell was so gigantic and heavy!

"Curse you Riveras!" Ernesto complained loudly. "Curse you for taking away my fame and ruining my image!" He wiped some dirt off his mariachi suit. "One day I will get revenge on you Hector Rivera, and your witchy wife and great-great grand-brat, too!"


	3. The Start of an Investigation

Miguel woke up the next morning, feeling refreshed. Today was the day that he was going to prove Ernesto De La Cruz was a fraud and give Papa Hector justice! He was very thankful that his father, Enrique, agreed to help him. He remembered how it happened last week.

* * *

 _Mama Coco had just finished telling her first stories of her father and mother for the day. Miguel wasn't sure how to explain to his family that he went to the Land of the Dead. Who would ever believe him? The adults would think he was lying, and his cousins would laugh at him! But when Luisa had asked him where was his favorite red hoodie, Miguel realized he had no choice. He had to tell them the whole truth-even if he knows they would not believe him. Thus, Miguel told the family everything: how he got cursed for stealing the guitar, how he met their deceased relatives, how he came out the Land of the Dead, how he met Papa Hector but didn't realize they were related, how they got separated after singing, how he met De La Cruz and discovered he murdered Papa Hector, how they reunited with the rest of the family, fought against De la Cruz, and exposed his crimes to the audience. The family stood there very still with their jaws agape. Even Rosa and Tia Carmen shook! To them, it made so much sense! It explained why they couldn't find Miguel in the plaza or in the cemetery. Luisa was horrified that someone tried to drop her son off from a building! Realizing that their ancestor needed justice, Enrique had told Miguel that they are going to do something. They are going to report to the authorities about what happened, using Papa Hector's letters as evidence_.

* * *

Now Enrique and Miguel planned to find someone who could help them. They went to the police station and explained the situation to the chief.

"I know someone who can help you," Chief Lopez smiled. He introduced them to a detective, Antonio Gonzalez, who is talented at cracking unsolved cases. The man had brown eyes, black hair, a long mustache, and wore a cream trench coat with a dark green hat.

In Gonzalez's office, Enrique and Miguel summarized the situation to the detective. The detective listened and took down notes. "May I see Hector's letters and poems?" He requested.

The father handed them over to the man of authority. "They contained lyrics to the songs he wrote." Miguel nodded.

The detective looked at the dates of each letter and poem. "It seems to me that these songs were written before Ernesto's official debut in January!" He scanned the letters again. "Sin embargo, did Hector give Ernesto permission to use these songs?"

"No, nunca!" Enrique replied. "If he did, he would have said so in his letters!"

"Are you sure?"

"Si, Papa Hector would never hand over his songs to Ernesto De La Cruz, especially 'Remember Me!'" Miguel added.

"Did Ernesto ask permission from Imelda?"

"No," Miguel answered. "He did not ask her, either."

"That's right," Enrique nodded. "In fact, Mama Imelda never saw Ernesto, and neither did Mama Coco or Tios Felipe and Oscar after the tour! When Mama Imelda wrote to Ernesto asking the whereabouts of her husband, De La Cruz responded that Hector left him on a train with a tramp from a bar. But we know that is a lie because Hector was a loving husband and a great father-he would never desert Imelda and Coco for another woman!"

"Do you think Hector was killed by Ernesto De La Cruz?"

The Rivera man and his son nodded. "Yes, we have a feeling that it could be true." They did not tell the detective how Miguel found out-who would believe that a kid went to the Land of the Dead?

"We may have to go to the scene of the crime," Gonzalez stated. "Do you know where the murder took place?"

"Si, Mexico City," Miguel answered. "That was their last tour together."

"Buckle your seat belts, we are going to Mexico City!" Gonzalez smirked. Even though this case went many years unsolved, he had a feeling that they will get to the bottom of this mystery.


	4. Shopping and Lay All Your Love on Me

Author's notes: I thought I'd focus on what Hector is up to, while I try to figure out how to write Miguel's investigation from last chapter. Someone once told me that they wanted a Coco fanfic that focused on other Rivera couples besides Imelda/Hector. Well, this chapter contains a special love duet for Julio and Coco! Yay for Julio/Coco fluff!

For singing, bold lyrics = Julio,br /

italic lyrics = Coco,br /

Bold and italic lyrics = Coco/Julio,br /

bold, and underline lyrics = boys,br /

underline lyrics = girls

* * *

In the Land of the Dead, Hector woke up from his slumber, early. He had been sleeping in a guest bedroom across from Imelda's bedroom. He felt it was fair that his wife should have her own bed back. He would have like to sleep in the same bed as her but a century without her had robbed their intimacy. Maybe one day when they will share a bed again.

So after getting dressed and eating breakfast, Hector was about to leave when suddenly, someone greeted him.

"Hola Papa Hector!"

The musico was so surprised that he jumped and yelped. He turned around and sighed when it was his daughter-in-law.

"Oh Hola Rosita," he sighed.

"Lo siento for scaring you," Rosita spoke gently, touching his arm. "I just wanted to know where you are going."

"Well, I thought I'd go shopping today," Hector smiled. "Would you like to come along?"

"Oh I would but I cannot because Mama Imelda need some to open the shop," Rosita responded sympathetically. "But Julio and Victoria can accompany with you!"

Hector looked a bit unsure. He wasn't sure if his granddaughter would want to be with him after what happened yesterday. Why couldn't he make shoe patterns as easily as he could? But he smiled a bit at the mention of his son in law.  
'At least I don't have to put up with the twins!' he thought, feeling relieved.

"Si, why not?"

* * *

"Thanks for letting us accompany you on is shopping trip," Victoria smiled properly.

"Your welcome, Victoria!" Hector replied. The two men and one woman left the house a while after waving goodbye to Rosita. Now the three were on their way to the shopping mall.

"Now, that I am here with you, I am going to teach you how to be a proper grandfather!" Victoria added.

"A proper grandfather?" Hector asked confused.

"Si, you want to be part of this family, don't you?"

"Of course!"

"Then we better get started on the lessons!"  
The forty-something year old woman pulled out a long piece of paper out of her pocket. It was so long that it made the mens' glass eyes also pop out of their sockets. "Now I have written up a list of the lessons that we will cover. Each lesson has a short term goal to help you achieve your long term goal, which is becoming a good patriarch. Some short term goals will focus on family bonding, others on defending the family from danger. There also some exercises on-"

"Victoria dear, let us not overload your abuelito with homework," Julio firmly advised. "He just met us and he needs to adapt to his new home."

"I don't mind a little homework," Hector assured them. "I want to learn all that there is to being a patriarch!" He did a little skip.

"What are we buying today?" Julio asked, trying to keep up with Hector and his daughter. They walk faster than he did!

"A brand new sewing machine," Hector answered. "I feel bad for breaking Imelda's old one so, I thought I'd make it up to her."

"Aw, how sweet!" Julio smiled big.

"It is just the right thing to do!" Hector quickly mentioned. He was thankful he couldn't blush anymore.

"It is," Victoria smirking. "It will mean so much to her."

* * *

The family arrived at the shopping mall. There were many shoppers buzzing around. All purchases came from the Land of the Living when the living humans didn't want them anymore. So they all went to the Land of the Dead. Other places were cafes or restaurants where skeletons could go inside and eat.

"I hope we can find a fabric store in here," Hector murmured, noticing how enormous the mall looked.

"I know a shop that sells sewing machines here," Victoria replied. She glanced around and spotted a store with a sign reading, 'JoAnn's.' "Right there!"

"Perfecto!" Hector smiled, snapping his bony fingers.

They walked in the store and browsed around for a sewing machine. They were not alone. JoAnn's was crowded of shoppers.

One of them was a skeleton teenage girl, who spotted our lanky musician. She came up to him with awe in her eyes. .

"Oh my gosh, are you Hector Rivera?" she gasped.

"Si," Hector smiling sheepishly.

"Oh my gosh, you and the La Llorna woman were amazing!"

"Gracias!"

"Was she your girlfriend?" A teenaged boy with glasses, piped up.

"No, she is my wife."

Just then, a big crowd gathered around Hector and his family, like rabbits. They began dumping many questions on their new favorite musician.

"Did you really write "Remember Me?"

"What other songs have you written?"

"Do you have a concert coming up?"

The musico tried to keep up with all the questions but so many people were talking at the same time that he could only hear half of them!

"Everybody calm down!" Victoria shouted.

"One question at a time!" Julio bellowed.

They saw how overwhelming this was for Hector. When the crowd finally quieted down, the Riveras sighed in relief.

"Okay, my abuelito is on a personal shopping trip and he can only answer one question for the day," Victoria explained. "Raise your hand for a question and I will pick one lucky fan!" She pointed to one teen boy with black spiky hair and dressed in blue. "Yes, chico?"

"When is your next concert?"

Other fans smiled and shouted "Si, cuando?"

Hector thought of a date.

"February 14th 2018!"

The new fans moaned.

"Yo se, yo se," the musico chuckled. "But this will give me enough time to write new songs and rehearse! And I think everybody deserves a wonderful concert, don't you think?"

The fandom smiled and nodded.

"Bueno!"

* * *

"Oh I cannot believe I promised everyone a concert!" Hector groaned. "What am I going to do!"

He and the family had bought the gift for Imelda and bought lunch. They were sitting down on a bench, munching on their sandwiches. Except our musician who was too worried to eat.

"Any idea what songs you plan to write for your concert?" Julio inquired his father-in-law.

"No," Hector shrugged. "Not even the slightest!"

"What are you blabbering about?" Victoria questioned, rolling her eyes. "You have done this before."

"I haven't performed for people in ages!"

"What about the time you played La Llorna for Mama Imelda?" his granddaughter recalled.

"Or the time you performed with Miguel at the Plaza?" Julio added.

"Oye, I only did that to help Miguel win a contest!" Hector explained. "And with Imelda, it was to help her overcome her stage fright!"

"Well, I am sure this time you will have an easier time performing onstage," the short male shoemaker assured him. "Third time's the charm, they always say!"

The musico smiled a little. It was nice to hear someone comforting him-even if thoughts of the concert were still swirling in his head.

"Let's change the subject and focus on our lessons!" Victoria suggested, pulling out her long list out. She adjusted her glasses before reading her paper.

Hector looked grateful at her idea.

"What is the first lesson?"

"Today's lesson is about family bonding," the woman instructed. "Pick one family member and ask him or her a question about themselves. First, think of something you both have in common with, and then, ask."

Hector nodded and thought of what they could discuss. He liked to get to know Julio and thought of something they could have in common. But what? Then he remembered that they both knew his daughter. "So, Julio how did you meet Coco?"

Julio smiled really big at this question.

"Oh, I met her at the Plaza in Santa Cecilia!"

"The plaza?"

"Si, Papa Hector, I was just selling flowers in the plaza when I saw this beautiful woman with braids, dancing!" The short man gave a long romantic sigh as he remembered Coco's smile and laughter. "I have never seen anyone dance so gracefully and so lovely before! Now, I was a very shy boy. I was not good at talking to girls except Rosita."

"Any guy would be too shy to talk to their beu," Hector smirked. "So how did you manage to court her?"

"Well, first, we started off as friends," Julio continued. "I worked up a nerve and asked her to dance. I was surprised she said yes because she has turned every other guy down! We shared one dance but before I could ask for another dance, she had to leave quickly, so I put her a flower in her hair."

"A flower in her hair?"

"Si, to show that I thought she was a very pretty girl who deserved a very pretty flower! Even though we kept meeting each other up at the plaza and dance, I was still too shy to ask to court her!"

"Eventually, you asked her, so how did it happen?"

"One day I saw some guy talking to Coco and I got jealous-so jealous that I realized I need to make a move quickly!"

* * *

Flashback

"Hola Coco, would you like to court me?" A very handsome boy bowed before the teenaged girl.

Coco wanted to say no because she would rather dance with someone else. But she didn't want to be rude. What was she supposed to do?

"Lo siento Antonio, she is courting me!" A familiar voice shouted. Coco turned around and her eyes widened. It was Julio! He came up and put his arm around her, gripping her tight.

Internally, the girl sighed with relief.

The other boy looked embarrassed and quickly scrammed off.

A mariachi band began playing a song. The boy took Coco's hands and began to dance with her.

"May I have this dance, my lady?"

"Why of course, mi hombre!"

Their feet started tapping to the beat of the mariachi music.

"Thanks for saving me," Coco blushed. "Although I like the idea of us courting."

"That is why I am here, to ask if I can court you!" Julio stuttered. "May I court you?"

"I was wondering when you were going to ask," Coco laughed, happily. "What finally motivated you? I have been waiting for you to make a move for months!"

"You have?" The boy blushed.

"Si, why do you think I came here to the plaza every day other than to dance?" the girl flirted.

"I didn't think a girl like you would notice a guy like me," Julio shyly admitted. "You are a shoemaker's daughter who is strong, confident, and beautiful and I am just a timid ranch boy. But then when I saw Jose flirting with you, I realized that I just couldn't let someone steal you away from me!" he grumbled, at the last part.

"Julio, were you jealous?" Coc smirked. In a short amount of time that the Rivera girl knew her crush, she was afraid he wouldn't be returning her feelings. But now there seemed to be hope for her.

"Maybe…," he blushed. Then he broke out into a song.

 **I wasn't jealous before we met  
** **Now every man that I see is a potential threat**  
 **And I'm possessive, it isn't nice**  
 **You've heard me saying that smoking was my only vice**  
 **But now it isn't true**  
 **Now everything is new**  
 **And all I've learned**  
 **Has overturned**  
 **I beg of you**

He gave Coco a twirl and a dip. When he pulled her back up, his girlfriend smiled flirtatiously as she caressed his face and slowly moved her hands down to his waist. Coco began to vocalize.

 _Don't go wasting your emotion_

 _Lay all your love on me_

 _It was like shooting a sitting duck_

 _A little small talk, a smile and baby I was stuck_  
 _I still don't know what you've done with me_  
A grown-up woman should never fall so easily  
 _I feel a kind of fear_  
 _When I don't have you near_  
 _Unsatisfied_  
 _I skip my pride  
I beg you dear_

Before Julio could plant a kiss on her lips, the girl moved away, giggling. She gestured him to come and get her and the boy chased her. He grabbed her by putting his arm around her waist, causing her to gasp happily. Next, he took her other hand and twirled her out before spinning her back into his arms.

 **Don't go wasting your emotion  
** **Lay all your love on me**  
 **Don't go sharing your devotion**  
 **Lay all your love on me**

One of the boys grabbed Julio by his shoulders and pried him off from Coco. She looked horrified at seeing her lover being taken away from her.

"Oye, what the heck was that for?" He yelled.

"You always dance with the shoemaker's daughter!" said one guy, named Jose. "Now her scary mother is not here, it is my turn!" He gave a happy smile to Coco who did not look amused at all. "Hola chica, how about you ditch this guy and come with me?"

"No way Jose!" Coco snapped at him. "I chose Julio, and even if my mother were here, I want to dance with him forever and ever until death!"

"But Coco-"

"Now Jose…," Coco reprimanded him.

 _I've had a few little love affairs  
They didn't last very long and they've been pretty scarce_

Growing up, boys were too afraid to approach her because they feared her mother. Some of the boys who did take an interest in Coco, always tried to take advantage of her due to her beauty. The girl took Julio's hands and placed them on her waist. Then, the teenager put her hands on his shoulders and proceeded dancing. Her future husband couldn't look happier than ever!

 **I used to think that was sensible  
It makes the truth even more incomprehensible**

 ** _'Cause everything is new_  
** ** _And everything is you_**  
 ** _And all I've learned_**  
 ** _Has overturned  
What can I do?_**

The young couple danced further away into the center of the plaza. The boys looked crestfallen. It shouldn't be a surprise to them that Coco would turn them down. But aside from her mother, they didn't think Julio would be thier obstacle. Just then, a group of girls showed up to dance. When Jose and the gang saw then, they fixed their hair and made their way to the new women.

 **Don't go wasting your emotion  
** **Lay all your love on me**  
 **Don't go sharing your devotion**  
 **Lay all your love on me**

The girls gladly accepted the boys' dance offers and tapped their feet to the beat.

Don't go wasting your emotion  
Lay all your love on me  
Don't go sharing your devotion  
Lay all your love on me

END FLASHBACK

* * *

Julio, was still singing the chorus. He was so lost in his memories of him and his living wife that he almost didn't hear his father-in-law and daughter calling him.

"Julio, Julio, Julio!"

"Papa! Papa! Papa!"

When Victoria grabbed him by the shoulders, that was when Julio snapped out of his daydreaming.

"Whoops, lo siento!" He chuckled nervously.

"That's fine," Hector laughed. "Now I know you a bit more than I did, I am relieved that my daughter was smart to pick you as her husband!"

Both Julio and Victoria blushed and beamed.

They didn't realize that other skeletons have been staring at them, until one man shouted.

"Hey, it's Hector Rivera, the one who actually wrote Ernesto De La Cruz's songs!"

The crowd went wild, which caught the Riveras' attention. Thier eyes widened as they saw people heading toward them. Just like the other fans at JoAnn's, the people were so thrilled to find the real musician here! The one who was responsible for writing 'Remember Me!'

"Chamacos, vadamos!" Hector hissed to his family.

"Good idea!" They quickly nodded.

Picking up their gift, they fled from the bench and ran as fast they could!

The fans followed them, wanting their autographs or talk to Hector.

"How do we lose them?" Hector asked, in a panicky voice.

"Follow me, I know how to get home the other way!" Victoria commanded. She led the boys to a different route. The sooner they could get away from a bunch of crazy fans, the better!


	5. Investigation and Mamma Mia

Author's notes: Thank you people for reading my story. Judging by the reviews, I am excited that everybody wants more! Not all of the ABBA songs will appear because some of them don't fit with the story so we will see. I would also be picking songs from other places in case a scene calls for a song that ABBA doesn't have. Enjoy the story!

* * *

Using Hector's letters as clues, Detective Gonzalez and the two Riveras traveled to Mexico City. They came upon a hotel that has been around since 1903.

"This was the last hotel that Papa Hector stayed with Ernesto," Miguel pointed it out.

The men and boy went inside the hotel. A clerk spotted them as soon as they walked through the door. Gonzalez and Enrique asked the clerk if they kept records of customers dating back to 1922.

The clerk fetched an old record book and showed it to them.

"This the oldest record book we have dating back to 1919," he explained. "Perhaps, you can find Ernesto de La Cruz and his friend in there."

The two men and the boy scanned the book's list of names, carefully. After flipping through many pages, Miguel's eye caught on two familiar names:

 **Hector Rivera and Ernesto De La Cruz-checked in at 9:00am on 11/30/1921**

"Papa, Senor Gonzalez, this is when they checked in!"

"Does it say when they checked out?" Gonzalez inquired.

"Si, it says here that Hector checked out at the hotel at 11:00pm on 12/12/21. Ernesto checked out the hotel at 6:00am on 12/13/21," Miguel informed.

"Ernesto's amigo, tried to leave in the middle of the night for the train but strangely, never made it," the clerk mentioned. He leaned closer to the men and child and spoke in a strange whisper. "Rumor has it, that he was killed on the road. Other rumor was that robbers stole his suitcase, but before they could get away, Ernesto killed the robbers and took the suitcase for safekeeping!"

"Well, it seems to me that either way, Ernesto's amigo, Hector was murdered," the detective said gravely.

"You don't happen to know what happened to the body, do you?" Miguel asked, feeling nervous.

"He may have buried the body in a pauper grave in this town," the clerk shrugged, "Good luck finding it, because wherever he was buried, he has no headstone-at least one with a name."

* * *

The Riveras and Gonzalez left the hotel and drove to the city's cemetery.

They drove through the gravestones and came across a row of pauper graves. With permission from the owner of the cemetery, the men digged up all the bodies from the pauper graves. It was a very difficult search because the appearance of male bodies were decayed due to age. Enrique and Miguel had to double check and triple check to make sure they correctly identified the bodies. Thirteen bodies later, just when Miguel was about to ask for a water break, he suddenly spotted a body whose face perfectly matched the appearance of Mama Coco's padre.

"That is him! That is Hector Rivera!" He shouted excitedly.

"Good work, Mijo!" Enrique grinned, ruffling his son's hair.

* * *

Later, the men took Hector's body and handed him over to a forensic team at the police station of Mexico City,

"Can you run tests on him and see if they prove whether or not he was poisoned?" the detective requested.

"Absolutamente!" The forensic team nodded. "We will get to work right away! In a week or so, we will call you with test results."

"And after doing the tests, will we have Papa Héctor back?" Miguel asked nervously. He was apprehensive that they may not give the body back to the family. "I want to bury him next to my Mama Imelda."

"Once we complete the tests, you may have the body back afterwards," the forensic team answered.

After bidding the forensic team goodbye, the men headed back home.

* * *

At Gonzalez's office, they sat down discussing what else to do.

"So what is the next step?" Miguel asked. He knew the case was apparently, not finished. "What do we do while we wait for the forensic team for their report?"

"Well in the meantime," Gonzalez answered kindly, "I am going to make a phone call to a man whom I know is a historian of Mexican musicians."

"A historian of Mexican musicians?" Enrique inquired.

"Si," he detective answered. "His name is

Senor Ramirez and he is very knowledgeable of Ernesto de La Cruz."

"How soon can we meet him?"

"As soon as possible," the detective promised. "I have to warn you that he is a busy man but I can manage to get him to meet you tomorrow or sometime later this week."

This disappointed Miguel. He was hoping to get Papa Héctor justice as soon as possible.

"I hope to see him tomorrow."

"We shall see, nino," the detective smiled.

* * *

After bidding the authorities goodbye, Enrique and Miguel drove home.

On the way home, Miguel breathed out a sad sigh.

"I wish we could wrap up this case now."

"Yo se mijo," Enrique said softly, rubbing the boy's back. "But these things take time. Finding Hector's body was a tough job, proving that he was murdered for his songs is going to be harder because some people may not be convinced."

"But if we don't get the justice that Papa Hector deserves, he will be forgotten!" the twelve-year-old strongly stated.

"He won't be forgotten," his padre assured him. "I know the case is a bit slow but it will be done soon, trust me."

"I trust you, Papa." the boy spoke. He was trying to be patient but it was still difficult for him to do so. Before he could go on, his father spoke again.

"On the bright side, we have his foto on the ofrenda. Say, when we get home, why don't we ask Mama Coco her stories of her padre?" Enrique suggested. "Encourage her to pass her memories of him to us so he will not be forgotten."

"Sounds like a good plan," Miguel smiled.

* * *

At the deceased Riveras' shoe shop, Imelda had just finished shelving new shoes. She wiped sweat off her forehead with her arm. The matriarch climbed down from the ladder. Rosita was in the kitchen making lunch and the twins were wiping the windows.

Because her tasks were done for the day, and no customers were coming in today, Imelda wondered what to do next.

An image of a certain musico with a straw hat and tattered blue coat came to her mind. At first, the matriarch smiled, knowing she could think of him without anger or sadness. But then she deflated as she remembered how she hurt his feelings with her brothers' invention incident. And it wasn't just that day but also of how she treated him over the past several years since she came to the Land of the Dead. But it wasn't her fault! He left her and Coco forever! How was she supposed to know that he was on his way back home to her before he died?

As Imelda became lost in her thoughts, her voice began to form a song as if it came naturally to her.

 _I was abandoned by you_

 _And I think you knew when_

In 1921, Hector left to go on a music tour with that bastardo. He had promised that he would write to her and Coco weekly. He had promised that the tour would be only three months and would mail his payments to her so they won't starve. But then the music tour kept getting extended from three months to six months. Then it got expanded to two more months! Imelda was beginning to worry when all the sudden, her husband stopped writing.

 _So I made up my mind that must come to an end_

When Ernesto wrote to her that Hector left her for another girl, Imelda's heart fell to pieces. Wanting to end her pain, she threw out anything that reminded her of her husband from his instruments to his face (which she had torn off from the family photo). For decades, she acted bitter toward him. Then when Miguel came and revealed the truth to her, she had no idea how to react because anger was easier to handle than sorrow and guilt. Now she was stuck with emotions that seemed hard to handle.

Maybe the best thing Imelda could do to make up to Hector was to give him a gift. Something to make up for her being mean to him.

Then remembering how barefoot her husband was, she knew what present to make for him! For some reason, she felt herself warming up to her thoughts of her husband instead of suppressing them like she used to do. She wasn't sure if whether or not that was a good thing.

 _Look at me now, will I ever learn?_

 _I don't know how but I suddenly lose control_

 _There is a fire within my soul_

 _Just one look I can hear a bell ring_

 _One more look and I forget everything._

 _Whoa whoa..._

Smiling, she headed to the back of the room. After clearing off space on one of the desks, the skeleton woman gathered tools and fabric, and began to work. It was always fun designing shoes for her family because she could put personal touches on them. This time, she was doing one for Hector. After all, he needed shoes-no Rivera would be walking around barefoot! That would make their business look malo!

She chuckled, thinking how it was strange to be reunited with her husband. The man whom she thought never loved her but truly did. Actually what surprised her was that despite her wrath toward Hector, she was still in love with him! How was that possible? It didn't make any sense!

 _Mamma Mia, here I go again?_

 _My, my, how can I resist you?_

 _Mamma Mia, does it show again_

 _My, my, just how much I missed you?_

 _Yes, I've been brokenhearted_

 _Blue since the day we parted_

 _Why, why did I ever let you go?_

 _Mamma Mia, now I really know_

 _My, my, I shouldn't have let you go!_

The woman cringed as she thought of the times she turned her husband away from her whenever he tried to talk to her. Had she been that harsh?

 _I've been angry and sad all the things that you do_

 _I can't count all the times that I've told you_

 _'We're through!'_

Things would've been cleared up so much sooner had Imelda gave Hector a chance to speak. But she wouldn't listen to him because she thought he felt no remorse for his actions. Heck, the matriarch wouldn't give the fellow the time and day to say something to her! There had been a few times where she did ask him how the musico died but he would end up stuttering or stammering. Then she would kick her husband out of the house and slam the door. Even then, she knew that he would come back to her again.

 _And when you go, when I slam the door_

 _I think you know that you won't be away too long_

 _You know that I'm not that strong._

Sometimes, if she was out shopping in the marketplace, Imelda would have to run or hide whenever she heard her spouse calling her. Because looking at him, would awaken her feelings for him.

 _Just one look and I can hear a bell ring_

 _One more look and I forget everything._

 _Whoa whoa.._

 _Mamma Mia, here I go again_

 _My, my, how can I resist you?_

 _Mamma Mia, does it show again_

 _My, my, just how much I missed you?_

Now with the truth being out in the open, many thoughts that ran through the shoemaker's mind. One of them was 'I shouldn't reject him so many times! Better yet, I should have persuaded him harder to not leave with Ernesto De La Crap!'

 _Yes, I've been brokenhearted_

 _Blue since the day we parted_

 _Why, why did I ever let you go?_

 _Mamma Mia, now I really know_

 _My, my I shouldn't have let you go!_

Finally, the shoes were complete. They were brown, smooth, and comfortable. She hoped that her spouse would like them. Not that the shoes would make Hector fall in love with her again but, it could be the start of something new.


	6. Coming Home and Opening shop

Hector , Victoria, and Julio dashed through the alley and finally came upon their home. Running up the stairs, Héctor opened the door. He opened it so wide and so quickly that it accidentally hit Óscar, causing him to bump into Felipe.

"Oye!"

Both twins slipped off the side of the porch and fell into a mud puddle.

SPLASH!

Had Hector noticed the twins or wasn't in such a hurry, he would have been careful. Victoria and Julio didn't bother to see the twins because they had been looking behind every five minutes to make sure that no fan was following them. Once everybody except the twins were inside, they slammed the door shut. Panting for air (despite not having lungs anymore), they leaned against the wall and sank to the floor. The sewing machine box was still safely secure in Héctor's hands.

"Whew! That was close!" the young musician voiced, breathlessly. The others nodded.

"Who was slamming the door?" An annoyed female voice shouted from the backroom, making them jump.

"Aah!" Hector squeaked.  
Hastily, he and his relatives stood up from the wall, trying to find a hiding place for the sewing machine.

"How about that shelf?" Hector asked, pointing to it.

"No, she will notice it right away!" Julio hissed.

"Try the cabinet!" Victoria suggested. She was referring to a widen cabinet with light green paint and blue edges.

"Good idea!" Hector nodded. His granddaughter opened the cabinet. Quickly but smoothly, he slid the sewing machine inside. Then they closed the door. As soon as Mama Imelda walked into the room, Victoria and the boys quickly stood attention, trying to behave as normally as possible.

"What's all the racket?" The matriarch scowled. "You know I like peace and quiet-especially when I am working!" She was careful not to say anything about her new shoes.

"Oh, Hola Imelda! My, don't you look good today?" Héctor chuckled nervously. He rubbed his neck awkwardly, when she didn't crack a smile or uncrossed her arms. He didn't want to tell her about the fans or his unplanned concert to them. He wasn't sure if the music ban had been uplifted yet. Or if his wife would approve of him playing and singing for the world. It reminded him of the times of how she used to scowl and yell whenever he told her of whatever gigs he and Ernesto had to perform. Then when Ernesto offered him to take him on a tour to play for the world, she pleaded him nonstop to stay! Now he's unsure what to say to her.

Imelda's not stupid, she's familiar with Hector's strange behavior. Whenever her husband smiled sheepishly or rub the back of his neck, that meant he did something she wouldn't approve. Whether it was sneaking Coco a second slice of pan dulce before bedtime or not coming home early because he had a show with Ernesto at the plaza.  
Now she's looking at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Hector, what's going on?"

"Nada! Nothing is going on!"

"Are you sure?"

Her husband was shaking, trying to come up with whatever excuse he hoped to please her.

"Si, Mama Imelda," Julio spoke up. Usually, he was just as nervous as his everybody else but with his father in law being in the line of fire, somebody had to say something! "We just came back from a walk!" He gave his Hector a wink, who winked back.

Si!" Victoria added, quickly. She looked at the grandfather clock nearby. "Oh would you look at the time? The shoe shop will open soon and we don't want to have our customers waiting, do you?" She and the men prayed that Imelda wouldn't see past their lies.

Imelda had a hunch that they were hiding something but she couldn't figure out what. Whatever it was, it couldn't be a walk. Even if it were a walk, why would they be such in a hurry to slam the door. Another thought went through her mind that Julio and Victoria were so anxious to open shop, that they ran back home.

"All right, just please close the door gently, next time, okay? Slamming the door gives me a fright! Go and get ready for business."

"Right!" Victoria and Julio agreed, before running off to organize the shoe shelves.

Now the estranged couple are left alone.

"Hector are you sure you are alright?" The shoemaker asked slowly. She saw him rocking on his feet back and forth a little, with his hands behind his back.

"Of course! Why wouldn't I be?" he stuttered, wishing that this awkward silence would stop. Why couldn't they be comfortable like they used to be in the past?

Imelda sighed, knowing that this conversation wasn't going anywhere. Would their talks are always be awkward? Maybe he was just nervous because of last night. She took a deep breath and dropped the matter.  
"I'm sorry." The words that flew out of her mouth surprised her. Since when does she apologize?

"For what?" her husband genuinely asked.

"For always snapping at you last night," Imelda clarified. This wasn't easy for her but she had to do it. "I should have realized that you were trying to help me,"

"It is all right," Hector smiled softly. "I have forgotten to never trust the twins with thier inventions!" he chuckled nervously at the last part.

"Now you know," Imelda said with a slight laugh. The couple stood awkwardly in front of each other before snapping out if thier gaze.

"Well, if you need me, I will be in the back working on shoes," the shoemaker stammered, wringing her hands.

"Okay, and I will be upstairs, if you need me," the musician stuttered, rubbing thr back of his neck.

As soon she disappeared from out of sight, the patriarch deflated, mentally kicking himself for making things uncomfortable between them. He was relieved that she didn't kick him out of the house.  
The musician took out his gift and carried it upstairs. Not that the present would make his wife fall for him but it could be the start of something new.

Ten minutes later, the twins entered through the door, looking wet and peeved. They were oblivious to the fact, that they were leaving mud tracks behind, as they walked upstairs.

"Oye, who pushed us off the porch?" Óscar grumbled.

"Si, who pushed us off the porch?" Felipe added.

"Hey, you two!" Julio cried. "Clean up that mess! The customers are going to be here any minute!"


	7. We Wrote This and Tia Hilda Dolores

Imelda had gathered an empty shoebox and wrapping paper. Just as she was about to start wrapping, she heard a knock on her door.

"Mama Imelda, do we have anymore Mary Janes?"

"Si, Rosita, I got a new stock of them in the storage closet!"

Her daughter-in-law closed the door.

Now the matriarch could finally finish her gift.  
Knock! Knock! Knock!  
Or so she thought.

"Si, quien es?"

"It's Victoria and Papa!"

"Mama Imelda, do we have any more gym shoes?"

"No, Julio, we just ran out of them!"

"Oh okay, I will tell our customer to come back!" Julio decided. But his daughter grabbed him by the arm before he could take one step away.

"No, Papa, our customer threatened to never step into our shop again if we don't give him sneakers!"

Father and daughter continued squabbling until the matriarch interrupted them.

"I can make a new pair for today!" Imelda told them.

"Are you sure?" Julio asked.

"Si, Imelda sighed. "I will get to work!" After her family left, the shoemaker looked at a pair of brown shoes and sighed. Honestly, she really wanted to finish this present for her husband. It's more than just a pair of new shoes, this would be her way of welcoming him back into the family. Alas, the customers really needed her service.

She put her gift and wrapping supplies aside before taking out fabric for gym shoes.  
"Oh well, I guess my present will have to wait," she murmured sadly to herself.

* * *

Meanwhile, Hector was in his room, trying to figure out how to wrap a present. It shouldn't be too hard to do it. Gathering a pair of scissors, tape, and ribbons, he was ready! But just before he could begin, there was a knock on the door.

"Hola, what is it?"

"It's me, Papa Hector," Rosita answered. "Can you help us in the shop? We are short on staff and we have a huge crowd!"

Hector was hesitant to say yes. He didn't mind helping out others but he has no experience in customer service. He couldn't even build shoes!

"Usuallly, the twins would be working but they are still changing!" His daughter-in-law added. "I am not sure what is taking them so long!"

Hector glanced at his sewing machine, longingly. He had different plans for today but Rosita need his help. Who was he to deny facorns? Sighing, he stored his gift underneath his bed.

"Oh well, I guess my gift would have to wait."

* * *

Throughout the whole day, the Riveras were busy, especially Papa Hector and Mama Imelda!

The Rivera matriarch couldn't believe how many loco customers she had to serve! First, there was a lady who wanted a shoe that was too small for her. When the twins suggested her for size sixteen instead of size six, the ended up getting thier heads beaten up by the customer's purse so much, that Imelda had to rescue them! Then there was a man who complained about having to buy red gym shoes when he preferred the green ones! Last, a couple of customers returned their shoes to her with complaints! Imelda hoped the day would end soon!

The Rivera patriarch wasn't having a stress-free day either. First, he was scolded by Victoria for accidentally storing a box of loafers with golf shoes. ("A proper abuelo is always organized!") Then, the musician had to turn away three skeletons who were dissappointed that the Riveras didn't sell dancing shoes. Some customers, who had recognized from the spectacular sunrise concert, asked him for thier autographs. After signing his signatures, the crowd requested Hector to play them songs. He would have politely refused if the twins hadn't put him in a chair, and positioned a guitar into his hands. He played a few favorite folk songs, except La Llorna. And he avoided playing Un Poco Loco and Remember Me. He didn't feel right performing those two songs for the crowd, when they were meant for two special people in his life and afterlife. Once the crowd begged him to play the World Es Mi Familia over and over again, Hector wished that the day would be over!

* * *

Finally at 9:30pm, when the last customer left, all Riveras sighed with relief.  
Julio, Victoria, and Rosita went out to take a walk because they had been sitting for so long! Hector stood up from his chair, guitar in hand. Before he could leave, the twins dashed toward him.

"Brother-in-law, we wrote a song for you!" They smiled in a sing song voice, shoving a piece of paper in Hector's hands.

"A song for me?"

"Si, we felt bad for taking advantage of you -" Felipe began.

"So we wrote a song to make it up to you!" Óscar finished.

"You two idiots, actually wrote a song?" Imelda asked, raising an eyebrow. She was behind the counter, putting one last shoe box away on a shelf. "Ha, this I have to hear!" She recalled her brother' writing not being their strongest suit.

"I am glad you said so, hermana!" Óscar yelped, not catching her sarcasm.

"Because our song is so magnificent-" Felipe started, dramatically.

"It will make Mozart cry!" Óscar completed, as he and Felipe waved their hands up in the air.

Hector looked at their paper which read "We Wrote This by Felipe and Óscar Rivera." The musician looked apprehensive-like as if something wearied was about to happen.  
So did his wife.

"Óscar and Felipe," Imelda barked. "I am not sure I feel right about this!" Not she still banned music but she is still nervous about hearing songs, especially ones that reminded her and Hector of the good time they used to have. Even if she's fine with heart music, it's definitely not something she wanted her brothers to play!

"Nonsense, you'll change your mind about music!" Felipe assured her, confidently.

Óscar borrowed the guitar from Hector. Once the brothers were ready, the strummed the guitar, very loudly.

Imelda and Hector winced and covered where their ears used to be located.

"It's too loud!" Hector cried.

"You wanted it louder?" The twins asked, happily. "Okay!" They increased the volume on the instrument.

 **Felipe amd Óscar, yay!**  
 **My mama made me a sandwich!**  
 **It tastes like beans and turkey!**  
 **And it smells like it's been dead!**  
 **Writing this song is so hard so I used a pencil**  
 **Pointy, pointy, pointy, pointy, pointy, point!**  
 **PU what is that horrible smell?**

"Drum solo!" Felipe yelled.

Óscar grabbed a drum and banged on it like crazy.

 **I have a head and it looks like skull.**  
 **Bony bony bony, bony, bony, bone!**  
 **This song is over and so is this rhyme!**  
 **You win this round!**

 **Tamales!**

When the song ended, all the twins heard was silence and couple of alebrije crickets chirping, from outside.

"So what do you two think?"

Hector and Imelda were so shocked, they could hardly speak. They have never heard something so chaotic before! They shared each a look, wondering what to say.

"It's a...it's a…," Imelda started. She hated it but didn't want to hurt their feelings.

"It's really...something," Hector finally spoke, trying to be as nice as possible.

Suddenly the door opened and Julio and the girls rushed inside, slamming the door.

"Que pasa?" Imelda asked, annoyed that they shut the door, again.

"Hide everybody!" Julio cried, shutting down the windows

"She's back!" Victoria hissed, closing the blinds.

"Quien?" Hector asked. He looked at Imelda and the twins, but they shrugged.

Rosita and Julio hid behind the counters.  
Victoria turned off the lights, before hiding in the back room.

The twins went over the Windows and peeked through the blinders. They turned around, eyes widened in fear.

"Oh no, it's her!"

"Quien?" Hector asked again. Imelda swallowed, having a feeling whom they are talking about.

The sound of a door knob turned.

Before any of the twins could reach for the door to lock it, the door swung open, revealing a tall skeleton in a Victorian style green dress with a big matching hat and green feather.

Black boots stomping, she turned one light on, showing her face with black and green markings in shapes of triangles and lightning bolts.

Next, she turned another light on.

"Do I hear any singing in here?"the figure asked, tauntingly.

Imelda gasped, putting a hand to her mouth. Her bones began to shake.

Hector's eyes narrowed, recognizing this woman-this monster, whom he and his wife, thought would never ever see ever again! He said her name with such venom.

"Tia Hilda Dolores."


	8. An Unpleasant Guest

"Hector Rivera," The figure in a sickeningly green dress smirked. Her icy brown eyes spotted Hector's wife. "Imelda."

"T-Tia Hilda Dolores," Imelda stuttered. She was never the one to be afraid. The only times she felt scared were when her husband almost died of a Final Death and when her great-grandson got tossed over a building. Tending to her husband after the Spectacular Sunrise concert was also nerve wrecking. She had hoped that she would never feel fear again but she was wrong again.

The twins came in front of Hector and Imelda to protect them from their mean great aunt.

"Felipe!"one twin started.

"And Oscar!" the other finished.

"Great, now that we know each other-"Felipe glared at the guest.

"GET OUT OF OUR HOME!" Oscar shouted, pointing the door.

"YOUR HOME!" Hilda snapped. "I DESERVED TO BE HERE AS MUCH AS YOU DO!" She struck her black cane at the twins so hard that their heads flew off! Her snake which was in her breast pocket, snickered at the display.

The couple ducked as the twins' heads flew over them into the hallway.

The twins scurried away to look for their missing members, leaving their sister and brother-in-law alone with their unwanted guest.

"W-w-what are y-y-you d-d-doing h-here, Tia Hilda?" Imelda stammered.

"Why, I was just in the area, walking around, and I thought I'd drop by for a visit." the guest answered in a fake nice tone. "It's been such a long time since we saw each other." She walked around the room as if she'd own the place.

"You shouldn't be here," the musician snarled.

"Shouldn't be here!?" The strange woman asked, pretending to be she let out a chuckle that would make their bones shiver. "Why, is that the way to treat your guest?"

"Y-You only come here cause you want something," Imelda gulped. "What d-do you want th-this time?" She felt her husband clasping her hand and giving it a squeeze, which calmed her down a bit.

"I came to see if the rumors were true," her aunt spoke in a condescending tone.

"What rumors?" Hector growled.

"Oh a just few things...," Hilda listed. "A living boy, you chasing him down with Imelda, your dumb friend's dark secrets, and now...," she jeered. "...You are back in her home and now a famous rich musician!? Haha! Tell me, if this is true? Or are you two still divorced?"

"They're not divorced!" a voice spoke up, belonging to Rosita. "They were never divorced at all!" She was quickly shushed by her worried brother.

"Why do you ask?" the musician asked, skeptically.

"Well, when you hear rumors," Hilda spoke in a snobby tone. "You'd be curious whether or not they are true!"

"Everything is true," the shoemaker confirmed, hesitantly. "But we are not rich. Hector just finally received credit for his songs."

"Sounds like bullshit!" The aunt sneered.

"What are you talking about?" the matriarch questioned, trying to be brave.

"I know you two are swimming in cash from your musical fantasy!" Hilda spat. "You are are secretly hiding money from me!" Her voice took on a sad tone that sounded fake to the couple. "Por que? Woe is me, for I have no money to provide for myself and I have no friends-even the Forgotten Ones don't like me! Why not spare a peso for 'Ol Hilda?"

"We had disowned you from the family!" the patriarch barked.

"Come on Hector, have sympathy for the old lady, will you?" The aunt smiled in a way that sounded creepy. She gestured to herself and him. "Look at me, and look at yourself. You were kept off the ofrenda, I was kept off the ofrenda. We were both cast off, forgotten, unwanted by everybody we knew and love. We were both despised by your little tramp. I don't know how she took you back, but perhaps, you can convince her to accept me back in the family, too."

"Imelda and I both kept you off the ofrenda because of your cruelty toward this family! Especially my wife!"

"Oh you're blowing it out of proportion!" The guest chuckled, waving her hand in a dismissive manner. "Can't I cash in on the money, anyway?"

Hector still held his ground firmly. He always felt sorry for the Forgotten-he used to be one! Unlike him, nobody was fortunate enough to reunite with their families like him. But forgotten or remembered, Hector had no sympathy for anyone who had mistreated their loved ones."No you can't! Even if we do have money, you still can't because we had kicked you out of the family! Now begone or else I'll send Pepita to chase you!"

The guest flinched slightly, but stood still. "Fine, if that is how you two feel about me. Why you two deserve any happiness is beyond me!" She walked to the door but turned back to say one last thing.

"Just remember one thing: You haven't seen the last of me! You'll be sorry, you fools! Very _very_ sorry!"

Then she opened the door and stormed out, slamming it behind her. The sound was loud enough to make Imelda and Hector cringe. It took them a while to recover from their state of shock.

"Guys, you can come out now!" The shoemaker called. "She's gone now!"

Julio and the girls peeked out of their hiding places. Seeing that the scary skeleton in green dress was not here, they all breathed out a sigh of relief.

The twins came out of the hallway, with their heads back on their necks.

"Thank God, she is gone!" Victoria muttered.

"Si," Rosita agreed. "What a horrible, horrible woman!"

"How did you know she was coming?" Hector asked her.

"We were walking by when her snake appeared to us," Rosita answered, shivering. "Her snake was red with green wings and legs and sharp teeth! That's when we knew it was time to go back home and warn you!"

"Unfortunately, hiding didn't work out," Victoria mumbled.

"How was she related to us again?" Julio wondered, annoyed.

"Oh that's simple!" Felipe answered, right away. "She was our father's sister who took us in after padre died from the Revolution."

"Too bad she wasn't very nice to us and Imelda!" Oscar said, shivering as memories of Hilda striking Imelda with a whip, flashed in his mind.

"It was a rhetorical question, genius," Victoria said bluntly. Then she sighed. "Unfortunately, there's always a bad egg in every family."

"I don't want to talk about her anymore-how about we all go to bed?" Julio suggested.

Everybody nodded and ascended upstairs. Hector was about follow them until he saw his wife, sitting on a chair, with her head in her hands. He turned to the twins.

"Chamacos, how often has Tia Hilda,-" he spat at the name. -"been coming over?"

"Not very often," Oscar replied. "Once every five years."

"But when she does come over, it's because she wants money-"

-"Or wants to tell Imelda that you were 'smart enough to abandon her' because she 'was not wife material-'

-"and is 'an ugly looking girl!'"

Héctor's metaphorical heart sank. He had no idea what kind of horror Imelda had encountered. The thought of Hilda hurting his wife and her family, made him furious.

"Oye, are you okay?" Oscar asked, placing his hand on the musician's shoulder.

"How's it that she's still here?" He said bitterly. "I thought she might have had the Final Death by now!"

"Well, ever since she died from a heart attack, the whole family spoke of her so negatively, all the time that we didn't realize she never experienced the Final Death," Felipe supposed.

"But don't worry, as long as she doesn't cross the bridge, everybody should be safe," Oscar assured him, smiling a little. "Thanks to you and Imelda, we're all protected!"

But the musician didn't smile back and glanced at his wife. "Yo no se, chamacos. I felt I failed to protect her and this family. Go to bed, amigos. I am going to to talk to your sister."

"Good idea! Buenos Noches!"

The minute, the twins mounted on the stairs, Hector pulled out a chair and sat next down to his wife.

"Imelda," he whispered. He wanted to touch her hand but he was afraid that she would snap at him. "I noticed you're upset, do you want to talk about it? It's okay if you don't want to, I just thought-"

He didn't need to finish his rambling when the shoemaker looked up from her hands. There were tear stains on her cheekbones.

"That witch," she sighed. "Why did she step into our house? I can't believe she had the nerve to come and talk as if we wronged her!"

"Don't worry Imelda," Hector consoled her, putting his hand on her shoulder. He knew that she was going to smack him for touching her. Placing a hand on someone's shoulder to comfort them, felt the natural thing to do. Lucky for him, she didn't seem to notice. Either she was upset or didn't care. "Esta bien, everything is going to be all right. I wasn't kidding when I told her I was going to send your cat after her!" He chuckled at the last part, imagining the aunt being swallowed by a huge jaguar with wings.

"Hector, even Pepita is nervous around her and you heard what she said!" Imelda blurted. Her cat was usually feared by everybody and had scared skeletons off before. But last year when Hilda came to "visit," Imelda had ordered Pepita to scare her away. The cat obeyed but was bitten by Hilda's own alebrije. The cat hadn't recovered from that memory ever since! She shuddered as she thought of how much pain her pet had suffered. "It won't be the last time we've seen my aunt and she'll make us sorry!" She leaned her head against her husband's chest. "I fear to think what she would do to us! What if she comes here again?"

Hector wrapped his arms around his wife and held her close. The shoemaker relaxed in his touch and for the first time, felt safe.

"Imelda, I won't let her hurt you," her husband whispered softly. "I know we hadn't been together for a century but starting now, I will protect you and this family-"

"I'm not just worried about everyone," Imelda interrupted. "I'm worried about what she'd do to you, too!"

"I'm not afraid of her!" Hector scoffed. He felt touched that his wife cared the tiniest bit of him. But he is not letting some aunt try to fear him. "We're already dead so what could she do to us?"

"Yo no se, but we must be cautious." Worry kept hanging over the shoemaker's head. She started to shed tears which felt embarrassing. She shouldn't cry, she's supposed to be the strong one! But feeling her husband's arms wrapped around her and tightening a bit, made her safe and loved.

"Esta bien, esta bien…," she heard him whisper. They stayed in each other's arms for a long time.

* * *

Unfortunately, Imelda had the right to worry, which her husband should be doing. Do you remember Ernesto de la Cruz? If you had been trying to forget him, that is okay. He was the same guy that we saw him crawling out of that bell, ranting on how he's going to get revenge on Hector, Miguel, and Imelda.

So the former musician was wandering around in a dark alley, still muttering that same speech.

"...and just wait until I get my hands on that little brat! I'm going to wreck him, break him, and ruin him so hard that it will bring Hector and his tramp to tears!" He continued walking around. "I will have my revenge on the Rivera family!"

Suddenly, a red snake with blue legs appeared and wrapped its body around Ernesto's leg. The man was so horrified that he tried to shake it off. "Go away, go away!"

"Oh don't fear him!" a female voice spoke, making Ernesto jump. "He's just trying to lead you to me!"

He shivered, fearing that the cops had found him. Ever since he came out of the bell, he had to hide in the shadows because the authorities of the Land of the Dead had been searching for him. "Who is it? Como te llamas?" All he saw were two brown eyes in the shadows from the opening of an abandoned tavern.

"Come into my house and I will tell you who I am. Oh don't worry, I am not a cop," the female voice replied, smoothly.

The former murderer stepped inside, carefully not to hurt the snake. As long as the person is not a cop, he was totally fine with that. After he entered the tavern, the snake unwrapped itself (much to his relief) and scurried away to the dark figure. She closed the door and turned on the light.

"I am called Tia Hilda Dolores Rivera," the woman in green answered. "Y usted?"

"Ernesto De La Cruz."


	9. Hilda and Ernesto Team Up

Author's note: The song is called Revenge and it is from the audio drama, Princess Trixie Sparkle. The lyrics in **bold** are sung by Tia Hilda. The _italic_ lyrics are sung by Ernesto. The words that are underlined are sung by both characters.

The chapter is continuing where I left off

* * *

They shook hands and sat down at a table.

"I thought I'd find you here," she spoke, quietly.

"How did you find me?" Ernesto questioned.

"I told you!" Hilda explained, rolling her eyes. "My snake led me to you. I have been searching for someone who knows the Riveras and I couldn't help but overhear you."

"You were eavesdropping on me?" the murderer squeaked in embarassment. If he still had blood and flesh, he would have blushed. He studied the woman in front of him. She looked old enough to be his mother. "Have I met you before?"

"You probably don't remember me but I was a guardian of Imelda River and her two beothers, Felipe and Oscar. Those little brats of my brother!"

"Oh Si!" Ernesto gasped. "I do remember you! You were ugly!" He chuckled at the last sentence, making Hilda scowl.

"Gee, gracias!"

"So what have you been doing other than lookin ugly?" Ernesto jeered. He was hit by the woman's black cane.

"Callate, you fool!" She snapped. "I came here to discuss with you about Hector and Imelda. Rumors have it that you killed Hector for his songs and guitar. Was that true?"

"Si," the former idol sighed.

"Why did you do it?"

"I didnt want to do it, but he left me no choice!"

When he paused, Hilda gestured him to continue.

"Well, let me start from the beginning, Dona Hilda. Hector and I were best friends. We were both turned away from our families for wanting to be musicians. (Actually he was kicked out, I ran away). We did everything together! We played our guitars and dang together! We traveled throughout Mexico for music! Then when we came to Santa Cecilia. Everything was going so well until one day, he met this girl, Imelda. He wouldnt stop talking about how beautiful she was or how smart she was!" He gagged, recalling how mushy Hector acted. "At first, I thought no woman would ever marry him because he is not very guapo like me! His nose and ears were too big! Then, that woman married Hector and they had a bouncing baby brat! We couldnt go back to playing music a lot because he spent more time with them than he did with me!"

"Don't stop, what what did you do next?" the woman asked, with interest. "How did you get the chance to kill him?"

"I wrote to Hector to come on a music tour with me, just like we used to do before he got...married," Ernesto spat at the last word. "I had to convince him that performing would help me support his family. So when I got him on the music tour I thought things were going great! We played for many months! i extended the tour because I didnt want this dream to end at all! His songs made us popular! Although the crowd paid more attention to his songs than-"

"Boo, hoo, you're boring me!" Hilda said, rudely. "Get to the part where you killed him!"

"One day, my so-called best friend got homesick and decided to leave!" Ernesto quickly resumed. "I pleaded him not to leave but his mind was made up! This wasnt the first time he thougt of going home, mind you! I always managed him to stay but not this time! I knew that if he left, then I wouldn't have his songs to help me become the greatest musician ever! Luckily, I had bought rat posion. I poured a little in his tequila before offering a toast to our friendship. After he drank, I walked with him to the stayion when suddenly, he collapsed! I took his guitar and songbook and...well you can say the rest was history."

"Until Hector and Imelda found out what you had done to him," the aunt stated.

The fromer musician clenched his fists.

"Si, but it was only because of that...that boy!" He banged his hands on the table. "THAT STUPID BOY! For years, I had Hector believed that he died from food poisoining and had tricked Imelda into thinking she was abandoned, but thier stupid great-great grandson had to ruin everything!" He had to take a couple of deep breaths because he was so angry! "I want to kill Miguel and be a famous musician again!"

"If you want to destroy the child, you have to bring him here and do it, lest the Land of the Living should get suspicious. But before we do that, we have to kill his great-great grandparents, first!" Hilda explained.

"Por que?"

"Because they are his guides, you fool!" the woman barked. "If we bring Miguel here, they would simply, send him back home before we could do anything! So, if you want your legacy back, then we must first, kill Hector and Imelda and then Miguel!"

"But what about the other Riveras?" Ernesto asked. "The ones already here would put me behind bars!"

"Then we have to get rid of the other deceased Riveras after Hector and Imelda!" The skeleton lady clarified.

"I don't know, Hilda," Ernesto doubted. "This plan still sounds impossible."

"Oh Ernesto, you're being ridiculous!" the woman rudely interrupted. "Shut up and listen to me!"

 **Here at last**

 **You finally have your chance**

 **In your grasp**

 **The means to seek your vengeance**

 **You will see**

 **The life you should be living**

 **Free from their oppressive regime**

 **You've been hiding in the shadows**

 **Waiting for a proper moment**

 **Now it's time to attack Riveras**

 **And claim what's rightfully yours!**

 **They will fall, and be crushed**

 **Under me**

 **Victim to my hate**

 **Revenge**

 **Then at long last**

 **I will feel some peace**

 **finally free from their lies!**

 _They will fall, and be crushed_

( **They'll be crushed**!)

 _Under me_

 _Victim to my hate_

 _Revenge_

( **the sweetest revenge** )

 _Then at long last_

 _I will feel some peace_

 _finally free from their lies!_

 **Can you feel a new surge of power?**

 **At your hands soon they will cover**

 **Deep inside**

 **You know they must pay**

 **Revenge is the only way**

 _For too long I have to suffer_

 **Justice for all your pain**

 _Being poor is so much tougher_

 _Until they're made to pay!_

 **They will fall, and be crushed**

 **Under me**

 **Victim to my hate**

 **Revenge**

 **Then at long last**

 **I will feel some peace**

 **finally free from their lies!**

 _They will fall, and be crushed_

( **They'll be crushed**!)

 _Under me_

 _Victim to my hate_

 _Revenge_

( **the sweetest revenge** )

 _Then at long last_

 _I will feel some peace_

 _finally free from their lies!_

They will fall, and be crushed

Under us

Victim to our hate

Revenge

Then at long last

We will feel some peace

finally free from their lies!

"So can we review the plan?" Ernesto asked, innocently.

Hilda growled and rolled her eyes.

"Don't you get it, idiota?" She began listing the steps of thier scheme. "First, we will kill the deceased Riveras, starting with that dumb musician and his little whore! We have to come up with a way to put them to their final deaths, regardless whether they are remembered or not. Then, we will bring Miguel here and kill him, too!"

"Too bad the boy is out of my reach," Ernesto sighed. "It is not like we can cross over and kidnap him because you probably don't have a photo and my reputation is ruined!"

"Hmmm, you are right," the woman pondered. "We must find some way to bring him here. But how?"

"Yo no se!" Erneato shrugged.

"Well, why don't you research at the library ways to bring him here?" Hilda suggested. "In the meantime, I will figure out how to put Hector and Imelda to their final deaths!"

"Sounds like a good idea to me!" the former idol nodded. He is not a big fan of reading but it sounds better than lurking around in the streets at night!

"Soon the Riveras will cease to exist and everything they have, will be mine, hahahaha!" Hilda cackled.


	10. Hector's beginnings

Since Miguel's Adventure from the Land of the Dead, Mama Coco had been telling many stories about her padre to her family. Memories of him ranging from playing lullabies to her before bedtime to singing with her at church. After so many years of being silent, it felt riveting to talk about her father to anyone.

One day, the whole family gathered around in a circle in the living room. They were eager to listen to another story of Papa Hector from Mama Coco.

"Papa was born on November 30, 1900, in a pueblo village, Perez, which was close to Mexico City," the old woman explained. "His padre, Senor Fernando Nazario Rivera, was an owner of a family silver mining company. His madre, Senora Maria Consuelo Rivera, was a socialite, who hosted parties."

"Papa Hector era rico!?" Abel interrupted. He was shushed by Tio Berto.

"Si, you could say that," the woman smiled, not bothered by her eldest great-grandchild's abrupt question. "But Papa didn't enjoy being rich. He rarely got to see his father who was so busy and his mother who was always at parties. Everyday, he'd sneak out of the mansion to visit the town plaza. That was where Papa first heard music! He was so mesmerized by the mariachi musicians that he yearned to one day, play beautiful music like them!"

"Tal como yo!" Miguel beamed.

"Si, Tal como tu!" Coco chuckled, caressing the boy's cheek.

"How did he know he wanted to sing and play a guitar?"

"One day, he came to the plaza for the umpteenth time…,"

Flashback

A huge crowd gathered around a stage in the center of the town plaza. A band of mariachi musicians strummed their guitars and sang a ballad. A ten-year-old boy stood still as he listened to them. He wore a white shirt with tan pants. The boy fixed his eyes on the musicians, as he swayed to the tune.

When the performance was over, the crowd broke out into an applause, as the band bowed.

"Gracias, gracias!" thanked the band's leader. "Mi amigos and I are going to take a break. Come back in an hour for our next performance!"

Most of the crowd scattered in different directions. Some promised to come back, others went home or shopped in stores.

Only the boy stood there. He quickly walked up to the band leader, who was sitting on the steps of a stage.

"Oye Senor!" the boy greeted. "That music was beautiful!"

"Aye, gracias chiquito!" The man grinned, ruffling the boy's hair.

"How do you become a musician?"

"Well, let me ask you one thing: why do you want to be a musician?"

"I want to create music that is so sweet and so beautiful like yours," Hector answered, truthfully. "It makes me forget about my troubles, and brings me a sense of serenity."

The musician smiled, relieved that this boy wasn't someone who wanted fortune or fame, just someone who wanted to play music for the sake of having fun.

"Well, if you want to be a musico," the man explained. "You have to know the basics! Learn the notes of your instrument and songs, and keep practicing all the time!"

"That seems like a lot of work!"

"Si, but the question is, are you willing to do it?"

"You bet!" The boy beamed. Then his face scrunched up into a frown. "Pero...what instrument should I play?"

"Why, there are many kinds of musical instruments!" the man answered, proudly. He called his band mates over. When they did, he told them about Hector's musical interest. Each band member presented their tool for the boy to try. The violin was too big for him to hold. The flute wouldn't produce lovely notes no matter how hard Hector blew. The drums hurt his ears! Just when Hector was about to think that there wasn't anything for him to work with, a guitar was pressed in his skinny hands.

"Try it," the man encouraged him. "We'll be your first audience!"

Hector strummed a few strings on the guitar. His eyes widened at how sweet the tune sounded. Feeling a rush of joy, he continued playing.

Impressed, the mariachi band swayed to the beat.

Villagers heard the sweet melody and when they saw it was from Hector, they gathered around him. Whoever this boy was, he has a talent for playing.

Once Hector finished the last note, an applause broke out. The boy smiled shyly, not used to attention.

"HECTOR JOSE GARCIA RIVERA!" a booming voice shouted across.

The boy's eyes widened the moment, he saw his father and mother coming toward him. Maria's face was of worry but Fernando's face was as red as a tomato.

Those who had just seen the couple, quickly scattered off. Everybody knew not to mess with Senor Rivera, for he had a nasty temper. If it weren't for his reputation as being the owner of a mining company, they wouldn't be scared of him!

"Papa! Mama!" the chico gasped. How did his parents find out?

Once they came right up to them, The boy wished he would disappear.

"What are you doing associating around with these peasants?" Senor Fernando snarled at his son.

"They're not peasants!" Hector replied, defending the band. "They're musicians and they played the most beautiful music ever!"

"Si, well, too bad, making musica doesn't make a good living!"

"Your Padre is right, mijo," Maria spoke, softly. "Vadamos!" She quickly, motioned her son to come to her. The last thing she wanted was for her husband to cause a scene. The boy did, having no choice but to obey her.

"You peasants keep away from my son!" Fernando snapped at the shivering band.

"Pero Senor, we were just-"

"Callate! I have plans for my son to run my silver mining industry and I don't need you guys to fill his head with crazy ideas of making a living with music! Buenos tardes!"

Then he gave the musicians a deadly glare before leaving with his family.

End Flashback

"As you might have figured it out," Mama Coco spoke, sadly. "Papa didn't get along with his parents-especially his padre."

"Por que?" Miguel innocently, asked.

Mama Coco gave a weary sigh before proceeding her story.

"Abuelito was a proud man, hard to please. He wanted his son to follow his footsteps of running his business. But Papa wanted to be a musician. When he told his father about it, Abuelito exploded!

Flashback

"QUE!?" Fernando exploded. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU WANT TO BE A MUSICO!?"

The family was sitting in the study room. Fernando had been reading a newspaper while his wife focused on her book. Their son came into the room, because he wanted to tell them something. Something that he believed they should know.

"Music is my passion," Hector responded, firmly. "Whenever I play,, I feel happy! And I can make up songs-"

Ayyyyy!… ¡No me digas eso!"

"Por que?" The boy dared to question. "Why can't I be something else instead of running the mine business?"

"Mining silver is your future!"

"Por que? Do I really have to own the mine business?"

"Hector, I don't think you should be asking so many questions," Maria warned.

"Si!" Fernando barked in an angry voice. "It was something your madre and I have planned for you since birth!"

"But I don't find the idea of mining fascinating-"

"Hector I don't care!" Fernando interrupted.

"Fernando, Por favor!" María begged. "Listen to the boy!"

"Silencio mujer!" her husband yelled. "Hold your tongue when I am speaking!"

Senora Rivera closed her mouth immediately.

Senor Rivera turned back to his son.

"I will give you a choice: You will follow my footsteps to work in mines and work your way up to own the business. Or leave and chase your musical fantasy!"

"It's not a fantasy!"

"Well whatever it is, you have to decide because I cannot have you be both!"

That didn't sit well with Hector. He couldn't understand. Why did he have to choose? Why couldn't he be with his family and play music? Overwhelmed, he got down on his knees and put his hands together as if he was saying his prayers.

"Oh Por favor Papa!" He cried. " Don't make me choose! Either way, it's more than I can bear to lose!"

"Callate!" Fernando shouted. "Didn't you hear what the hell I said!? You can't have both! I will NOT let my son grow up to be a musico estupidia in my household! What will the village say about that? Our reputation will be ruined! It's either mine or music! Which one? HUH!?"

The boy shook and sweated. He never meant to make his father upset over music! Why couldn't he see that this was his interest, not working in mines?

"I thought so!" Fernando growled, knowing what his son had decided, and it wasn't working in the mines.

End Flashback

"Papa tried to make his parents understand but Abuelito wouldn't have it" Mama Coco narrated. "He didn't care that all Papa wanted to do was to play music for him and Abuela. When Papa chose music over mining, Abuelita and Abuelito told him to never come home!"

"That's terrible!" Luisa gasped.

"I can't believe someone would disown their child just like that!" Enrique said gravely.

"I can't believe that your abuela didn't do or say anything to protect your papa!" Elena shouted. "Why if I was there, I'd show that hombre-"

"Elena, Elena!" Coco shushed her gently. "That was how women acted in those days. They were not allowed to speak in a man's presence-even when her husband was acting irrational!"

"What happened to Hector after he was disowned?" Tio Berto asked.

"Before Papa left, his household servants totaled up their payments and bestowed them to him. They felt very sorry for my Papa and thought it was unfair of what happened to him.

After Papa bade the staff farewell, he boarded on the next train that was leaving from Perez. He didn't know where he was going exactly, but he hopes to find a place he could call home….,"

Flashback

At the train station, a conductor was selling train tickets to customers. After the last customer left, satisfied with a ticket, a scrawny ten year old boy came up. It was Hector Rivera.

"Where are are you going, muchacho?" The conductor asked politely.

"Yo no se," Hector answered. "But anywhere but here. I am looking for a place where I can find a new home."

The conductor frowned, believing this boy was alone. 'He must be an orphan!' He thought. "How about Santa Cecilia? I hear that town is a great place for homes!"

"Okay!" Hector smiled, softly. Any place would do, as long as he can play music freely.

After buying his ticket, the boy hopped on the train. Walking in the hall, he found a seat that was empty. He took it and sat by the window. The train started and off, it went! Hector looked at out the window, as the village shrank, followed by farms and crops.

"Time to start a new life," he sighed sadly. Softly, he began to sing to himself.

I have a dream, a song to sing

To help me cope with anything

Anything to help me cope with the fact that his parents kicked him out of their mansion. If his parents really loved him, they would have let him play music. The boy didn't want to leave them, but his father didn't care.

If you see the wonder of a fairy tale

You can take the future even if you fail

I believe in angels

Something good in everything I see

I believe in angels

When I know the time is right for me

I'll cross the stream, I have a dream

Maybe the young inspiring musician can find acceptance in Santa Cecilia. After all, wasn't that village known for loving music?

I have a dream, a fantasy

To help me through reality

And my destination makes it worth the while

Pushing through the darkness still another mile

I believe in angels

Something good in everything I see

I believe in angels

When I know the time is right for me

I'll cross the stream, I have a dream

I'll cross the stream, I have a dream

Maybe he will play for the town. Maybe he will play for a pretty girl. Either way, he hopes that his music will bring people together so they can laugh and sing along with him.

I have a dream, a song to sing

To help me cope with anything

If you see the wonder of a fairy tale

You can take the future even if you fail

I believe in angels

Something good in everything I see

I believe in angels

When I know the time is right for me

I'll cross the stream, I have a dream

I'll cross the stream, I have a dream

The train stopped at one of its stops to let in new passengers (and perhaps drop off those who wanted to get off).

A boy, who looked to be 14, stepped inside Hector's car.

"Hola," the boy greeted. "Is this seat taken?"

"No, go ahead!"

The boy sat across from Hector.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to Santa Cecilia," Hector answered. "I hope to find a home where I can play music as much as I want! How about you?"

"No manchas! I'm heading that way, too!" The older boy exclaimed. "I too, want to play music!"

"De verdad?" Hector asked, happily. He couldn't believe that he met someone who shared his musical interests!

"Si, I want to get away from my boring old town and find excitement!" The older Chico smiled proudly. "Someone who would appreciate my music, unlike my family! Were you kicked out of your own house too?"

"Yes,," Hector said sadly, looking down at the ground. He didn't want the boy to see his eyes glistening with tears. "I didn't want to leave them at all but my father gave me no choice. It was either music or the mines!" He shuddered when he said his father's profession. "I wish I can play music and keep my family!"

"Well, you can't always have both for everything!" The older child stated. "Sometimes you have to choose one thing, only and when you do, choose carefully." He offered an encouraging smile to the young scrawny boy. "Look on the bright side, amigo! Now that you are following your dream, this is your chance to seize your moment!"

"Moment?" Hector was confused. The phrase sounded vague to him. "What moment?"

"Why your moment to become a great musician, of course!" The older boy answered. "Say, since we both have the same dream, how about we team up?" He offered his hand out for a handshake.

Hector pondered on this offer for a bit. They both are the same goals: Go to Santa Cecilia and play music. Wouldn't that be fun?

"Okay, let's do it!"

Both boys shook hands.

"By the way, my name is Hector Rivera! Como te llamas?"

"Ernesto de la Cruz."

End Flashback

"So that is how Papa Hector met Ernesto De La Cruz!" Miguel said in wonderment.

"Oh si, Chiquito!" Mama Coco grinned. "Papa Hector and Tio 'Nesto became friends that day! They were like hermanos!"

All children except Abel yawned.

"I think it is time for everybody to go to bed," Elena announced.

"Aw, but I want to hear more about Papa Hector!" Miguel pleaded.

"Yo tambien!" Rosa agreed. "His life seems so exciting!"

Her twin brothers, Manny and Benny nodded, wanting to hear more about their great-great grandfather.

"No children," Luisa said gently but firmly. "It is time for bed, you have school in the morning."

"Si Senora," the children obeyed. They all left to go to bed, except Abel.

"Abel, don't you have school, too?" Franco asked.

"Si, but my lecture doesn't start until noon," the college student clarified. He had been taking college courses at a university, which was not too far from the family home and workshop.

"Gracias for sharing with us about Papa Hector, Mama Coco," Luisa said hugging her great grandma in law.

"Oh it was a pleasure," the old woman beamed hugging her back. "I hope you find his life fascinating!"

"Si, except the part where he got disowned," Abel added. "I can't help but think that we mistreated him the same way his father had done!"

"None of us know that Papa Hector didn't truly abandon us," Tia Carmen assured her eldest son.

"Pero how come he never came back?" Tio Berto asked. "There must be an explanation or something!"

"We don't know how," Enrique answers gravely. "But I have a feeling that he died while trying to come home."

Everybody gasped.

"I know," Enrique continued. "But when Miguel and I found his corpse by the hotel where he and Senor de la Cruz last visited, I have a strange feeling that something was up. I cannot help but feel that something terrible must have happened to him!"


	11. Vandalized!

"What could have happened to him?" Luisa asked her husband, worry in her eyes.

"Oh I dread to think what could have taken place!" Tia Gloria mumbled, putting her hands on her head. Her mother-in-law shuddered, as scary images of her grandfather dying flashed in her mind. Did he drown in the river? Was he run over by a train? Or did someone beat him up and left him for dead?

"Do you think he got into some kind of trouble?" Tia Carmen piped up.

"Who knows?" Berto shrugged. "Nobody knows."

"Well, we will find out about this as soon as we hear from the detective about Hector's body," Enrique responded.

Franco's eyes widened with shock.

"You still haven't heard from the forensics?"

"No Papa, nada."

"Well, what is taking those crazy scientists so long?" Elena barked. "My abuelo's body is being poked and pricked by men for who knows how long and they haven't found anything!?"

"Mama!" Enrique said, trying to calm her. "Por favor!" The last thing he wants is for her to get so angry that she'll get stressed out.

"How long does it take to look at a body?" Elena continued. "It shouldn't take more than a day or two! They better not do any weird experiments on him! Or else I'll hit them with my shoe!"

"I'm not sure whether to find that scary or hilarious," Berto chuckled.

"Watch your mouth!" his mother snapped at him. "This is serious!"

"Elena is right," a raspy voice spoke up. Everybody turned to her immediately. It was rare for Coco to talk due to her alzheimer's and old age. But whenever she speaks up, all eyes would be on her, ready to listen. "I never believed that Papa abandoned me and my Mama. There has always been this feeling that something dreadful happened. Why would his letters suddenly stop coming? I wanted to ask somebody about Papa so badly, but nobody knew what came of him!" Her eyes started glistening with tears. "I was forced to forget about him. My heart broke when my Mama ripped his face from the family photo. I knew she was heartbroken but my child self couldn't understand how could she hate my padre-the kindest and funniest man I have ever known!" Elena wrapped her arms around her shoulders, calming her.

"Esta bien, Mamacita," she whispered. "On the bright side, you still have his photo!"

"How did you retrieve it?" Enrique asked, softly. Until Coco revealed the missing piece, it was thought that Imelda had thrown it in a wastebasket.

"As soon as Mama was out of sight, I picked it up from the wastebasket and kept it in my bedroom." Coco answered. "I had to keep it safe in a place where Mama would never suspect! I wouldn't forgive myself if she found it and tried to throw it away again, or worse burn it! Every night before I go to sleep, I always look at him and sing our secret song."

"You mean that same lullaby Miguel sang to you?" Abel inspected.

"That's right, mijo," Coco nodded. "He wrote that song to me so whenever he was away on business, I'd always think of him."

"I can't believe that Papa Hector has been dead since 1921 and nobody knew until now!" Gloria gasped. "Do you think it is too late to solve the cause of his death?"

"Rubbish, it's never too late!" Enrique shook his head sternly.

"But what if they don't find anything?" Berto nervously inquired. "Anybody who might have known Papa Hector and Ernesto are dead!"

"I know that it will take a long time Berto, but we will get this case solved, eventually. We won't rest until Papa Hector gets justice, no matter how long it takes!"

Suddenly, there was a loud crash that shattered against one of the glass windows.

Tia Gloria and Tia Carmen screamed. Luisa would have fainted if Enrique didn't catch her in his arms.

"Dios Mios!" Elena exclaimed. "What's going on here?!"

Enrique and Berto grabbed a rifle and an axe respectfully, from a nearby cabinet, and dashed to the source of the crash. Shards of broken glass laid on the kitchen floor. There was a hole in a window. Enrique also heard random voices shouting from outside.

"DEATH TO THE RIVERAS!" One shouted.

"GIVE BACK ERNESTO'S GUITAR, MUSIC HATERS!" Another shouted.

When Abuelita heard them, she took her sandal off and ran to the window.

"WHO DARES TO INTRUDE MY HOME?"

She would have thrown her shoe at them or say something colorful if it weren't for her husband holding her back.

"Elena, are you loco!?"

"Let me at them, Franco! Let me at them! I want to rip their lungs apart!"

Her youngest son aimed his rifle at the hooligans. But they had ran away from the Rivera residence as fast as cheetahs. Was it Elena's anger and her shoe that scared them off? Or was it Enrique's rifle?

"W-W-W-Who was that?" Luisa stuttered. She put her shaking hand around her swollen womb, trying to stay calm. Carmen and Gloria sat her down gently on a couch lest, should she faint again.

"Yo no se," Enrique whispered, fearfully. "I could not get a good look at them. It was too dark to see."

"I didn't get a good look either," Berto shrugged. "But it sounded like a bunch of teenagers!"

"What do they want us for?" Tia Gloria cried.

"Si, we didn't steal De la Cruz's guitar!" Abel spoke up. There was a pregnant pause. "Okay, so Miguel did steal the instrument but it was originally Papa Hector's!"

"We got to do something!" Elena yelled. "Our family is in great danger!"

"I'll call Detective López!" Enrique said grabbing the phone and dialing the number. "I hope he can help us!"

* * *

Later Detective Lopez arrived at the Rivera home. He and three cops observed the scene where the crash took place.

"Enrique, what time did the crash take place?" Lopez inquired.

"Five minutes to ten."

"Did you see the attackers?"

"Not really," Enrique said, feeling ashamed. "My brother and I couldn't get a good look at them."

While the investigator was questioning the family, Luisa felt someone touching her arm.

"Mama?"

Luisa looked down and her eyes widened to see her son. He was in his blue pajamas with yellow stars and blue slippers. He looked a bit sleepy but his eyes showed curiosity and concern that something amiss had occurred.

"Miguel!" Luisa hissed. She was annoyed that her child was out of his bedroom and worried about what he might heard. She led him away from the family who were listening in (and adding their answers) to the questioning. They too, had spotted Miguel but were relieved that Luisa would be sending him back to his room. They had to pushed their focus from Miguel to Lopez when he asked them more questions about the intruders.

Luisa led Miguel to the bottom of the stairs.

"Why are you awake? You are supposed to be in bed!"

"I heard a crash," Miguel answered. "What happened?"

"Nada, mijo," Mama shook her head, and motioned her son to go upstairs. "Go back to bed, there is nothing to worry about."

"But why is Detective Lopez here?" Miguel asked, still concerned.

His mother inwardly cursed. She thought of something to say. She inhaled and slowly exhaled.

"Miguel, I will tell you what's going on but right now, I need you to go to bed because you have school tomorrow. Can you do that for me?"

"Pero Mama-"

"Your Papa and I will explain everything tomorrow!" Luisa interrupted. "Right now, I don't know the whole story myself! Now go to bed!"

Miguel still wanted to talk. He knew that something is wrong, so why won't his mother say something? She is never to keep secrets from him! Then, again, he had kept his love for music, a secret from her and the rest of his family.

"Si, Mama," he sighed, realizing that this conversation was over. After Miguel ascended upon the stairs, Lopez signaled Luisa to come over to her and the rest of the family.

"Senora Rivera, was that Miguel?"

"Si, Senor Lopez."

The detective sighed. "It seems to me, that your family has been threatened by people who care very much about Ernesto de la Cruz.

"One of them said, 'give back Ernesto's guitar!'" Enrique recalled. "Do you think those attackers could be from the Ernesto De La Cruz estates?"

"Possibly, they could be suspects," Lopez murmured. "Listen, nobody in this family tells the whole town of Santa Cecilia about the case of Ernesto De La Cruz and Hector Rivera. The people think very highly of De La Cruz and they might have a hard time believing that their icon may have committed crimes." He turned to Miguel's father. "Tomorrow you will come with me to meet with Senor Rodriguez, a historian of Ernesto De La Cruz at 8:00am. He have information about Ernesto's early years before he became famous."

"Gracias, Lopez," Enrique said, shaking hands with him. He was glad that the case seemed to be going somewhere. "And we promise not to say anything until we have proof!"


	12. Meeting the historian part one

Miguel was at school, trying to pay attention in class. Usually, he enjoyed listening to his science teacher talking about his favorite topic, physics. But today, something plagued his mind. Something that he couldn't shake off since this morning.

When his parents had told him what happened last night, he was aghast. Who attacked thier hacienda and why? His Abuelita answered that they wanted the guitar, he began to blame himself. But his father firmly told him that it was not his fault-they know that the guitar belonged to Papa Hector, not Ernesto De La Cruz. They just didn't know that! Before he and Rosa had left for Santa Cecilia school, Enrique made them promise not to say a word about the case until they gather more evidence. The children agreed.

When physics class ended, Miguel exited out of the classroom, silently. He gathered the rest of his schoolwork from his locker. After storing them in his backpack, he took a glance around he classroom before heading to the main entrance. He would meet up with Rosa and they would walk home together. As the boy was walking in the hallway, he glanced sideways at his classmates. Some were going home for the day, others were staying after for after school club meetings or sports practices. Miguel was not sure who attacked his home. What if the intruders were from his school? What if it was the people who owned the Ernesto De La Cruz moseleum? Nevertheless, he must not talk to anyone at school about this.

Just as the twelve year old was nearing the main entrance, a boy no older than 14, stepped into his view.

"Oye Miguel!"

"Oh Chino!"

Chino, was a tall boy with tan skin, and messy spiky hair. He was Miguel's only friend. Nobody wanted to be friends with the boy whose family hate music. They felt like he can't have fun with him (especially musical related) because if the no music rule. But Miguel was lonely. So how did meet Chino? Last year, the boy found Chino practicing his guitar for a school concert. Miguel was amazed and wanted to learn how to play the guitar. After learning of the boy's no music rule, Chino gave him Ernesto De La Cruz movies and told him to study him. Those two were the best of buds because they enjoyed music and Ernesto De La Cruz. Chino understood because he too, was discouraged from liking music for unknown reasons.

"Guess What? A group of boys and I are having our first meeting of the Ernesto De La Cruz club!" Chino said happily. He acted like it was the best thing ever to happen. "Do you want to come?"

Last year, Miguel would have attended the meeting immediately. But that was before his trip to the Land of the Dead. So Miguel knew what his answer would be right away.

"No gracias."

"Oh come on!" Chino coaxed him. "It'll be fun! We'll get to watch Ernesto De La Cruz movies all the time and talk about his awesomeness!"

Miguel still wouldn't acrept his friend's invitation. "Lo siento, pero no puedo." He tried to bid his friend goodbye but his friend blocked his way.

"Pero Miguel! You always like Ernesto De La Cruz!"

"Chino, I have too much homework to do, and I need to help my family in the shoe shop!" Miguel replied, as if pleading to let him go. "Lo siento, pero hoy no es in buen dia." He stepped around his friend and proceeded walking. "Adios!"

Chino just stared at his retreating back, very suspiciously. What's going on? He thought his friend would be thrilled to be a member of the Ernesto De La Cruz club. So why was he so eager to get home? A thought crossed his mind that Miguel is giving in to his family's music ban. No, that is impossible! He wouldn't give up on being a musician, would he? Perhaps he could ask other members whose parents own the Ernesto De La Cruz mausoleum...

* * *

Meanwhile Detective López and Enrique, along with his siblings, Tio Berto and Tia Carmen, paid a visit to a man who is a historian of Ernesto De La Cruz.

López rang the doorbell. The door opened to reveal a man who appeared to be in his 50s.

"Hola, Detective López!" He greeted warmly. "Come inside!" Everybody stepped inside his house.

"Pleased to see you, Senor Sanchez!" López responded. "This the Rivera family that zi told you about."

"Mucho gusto!" Enrique shook hands with Sanchez. Berto and Carmen followed pursuit.

"I have been told you have questions about Ernesto De La Cruz," Sanchez stated. "What would you like to know?"


	13. Meeting the historian part two

"Could you tell us about Ernesto De la Cruz's early years?"  
Enrique requested. "What his life was he like before he became famous?"

"Oh si!" Sanchez nodded, enthusiastically. He opened a cabinet and digged through files of the famous Mexican idol. "But what part of his early life would you like to know?"

"Something to do with his childhood friend, named, Hector Rivera?" Carmen asked, slyly.

The historian looked up from his cabinet, his face a mixture of confusion and curiosity.

"Hector Rivera?"

"Ernesto De La Cruz had a childhood friend that used to play music with him, long before he became famous," the detective explained. "This man, Hector Rivera, was his childhood friend. Long before they left for a world tour, Hector wrote letters to his daughter, continuing poems of the songs he had written."

"But didn't Ernesto De La Cruz write those songs himself?" The historian asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Not exactly," Lopez answered. He showed the historian Hector's letters.

Sanchez read them very carefully. He was a bit confused because the Mexican idol had always claimed for years that he wrote the songs. Now with the letters in his hands, Sanchez could see that so sing didn't add up right with Ernesto's musical history (what the general public believes anyway).

"These papers, that Hector wrote, were dated back to December 1921," the historian observed. "Ernesto made his debut, in March 1922, with Remember Me."

"That is proof that Ernesto stole the songs from our Bisabuelo!" Carmen shouted. She was quickly shushed by her brothers.

"I may not know about Hector," Sanchez admitted. "But are you sure about that?"

"Sanchez, why don't we start with Ernesto's childhood?" Enrique asked, patiently.

Of course!" the historian nodded, and went back to searching through files. He pulled out a picture. It displayed a group of children from Santa Cecilia orphanage. Other photos he had fished out were Ernesto standing proudly, with his arm around a scrawny little boy.

"These photos show that Ernesto had spent time at the orphanage in Santa Cecilia,"Sanchez explained. "He had ran away from home and had befriended a little boy from a train that took them to that orphanage. I figured they were best friends because they were always together. I always wonder who his best friend was. But I could never find information about him."

The Riveras and Lopez studied the photographs very carefully.

"That is him!" Enrique pointed out. "That is Papa Hector!"

"Hey he looked like you when you were a kid, Enrique!" Carmen chuckled.

"Si, small and scrawny!" Berto laughed. He and his sister earned a glare from their younger brother.

"That's not all!" Sánchez announced, as he digged through his cabinet. "Now where is that-Aha ha!" He shouted victoriously, as he pulled a few flyers. "Since that little boy is Hector Rivera, then he is the same guy that performed with him!"

He handed the posters to the Riveras to study them. The flyers were yellow from age. One flyer read

"Performance from Ernesto De La Cruz and Hector Rivera on July 1st 1917! Come and see!"

A second flyer read

"Musical performance by Ernesto De La Cruz and Héctor Rivera tonight at 7 on April 27, 1918."

Unlike the first two that showed guitars strumming musical notes, the third one, showed headshots of two musicians (one had a square jaw and mustache, and the other one was thin faced with a big nose, big ears, and a goatee) that were done by an illustrator.

"This is great!" Enrique exclaimed. His smile was brighter than diamonds. "We have proof that he exists!"

"Who said he doesn't exist?" Carmen asked.

"No one but just in case someone questions his existence, these photo and flyers will be our backup!"

"You wouldn't happen to have more information on Papa Hector, would you?" Lòpez inquired.

"That's all the information I have about this Hector Rivera," Sanchez explained. "The childhood photo from the orphanage and the flyers." Then an idea hit him. But I can review all the Ernesto De La Cruz interviews. Perhaps, someone asked him about your great-grandfather! Give me a week or so, and I will call you!"

The Rivera family couldn't be more thankful.

* * *

They left the historian's house, feeling positive that they're getting closer to solving their case.

"I think we made some good progress," Enrique smiled. "Don't you think, Lopez?

"Si," the stern detective murmured. "But we still have a long way to go and I am still searching for whoever vandalized your house the other night."

Enrique and his siblings felt their smiles turning upside down the moment Lopez brought up that event.

"Any idea who the suspects are?" Berto asked.

"My speculations that you were attacked by either a group of devoted fans of Ernesto De La Cruz, the owners of the Ernesto De La Cruz estate or the people who owned his masoleum."

"I understand the crazy fans," Carmen replied. "But the owners of Erensto's masoleum!? The owners of his estate!? Don't you think that's a bit...far-fetched?"

The detective stopped walking and gave the Rivera woman a hardened look, which made her shiver. Her brothers shivered, too.

"You may never know," Lopez answered gravely . "I have been solving cases for ten years and you have no idea how many people who seemed nice or important turned out to be...criminals. You may be surprised, one day. Who knows what they could be up to, even as we speak..."


	14. Ernesto fan club meeting

In the woods, fifteen minutes away from Santa Cecilia Catholic school, there was a white mansion with french windows. If you go inside, the first see you see is a grand staircase and the wall on the right of the room, was full of paintings of Ernesto De La Cruz. To the left, is the living room. A maroon rug, a chandelier, a fireplace, and a piano were in clear view. And so were a group of six boys, and four men.

"Oye Chino," a boy, Luis asked. "Donde esta Miguel?"

"He won't be here," Chino simply answered. "I invited him but he refused!"

He sighed. Miguel Rivera, the biggest fan of Ernesto De La Cruz ever, refused to come to the first Ernesto De La Cruz club.

"His abuela must have got him stuck working on shoes," the teen continued. "You know how that old bat wants to make him into her little shoemaker. After all, he did say his family needed help in their shop."

"Or…," a bald man with a long curly mustache, in a black robe spoke up. His eyes narrowed and his mouth formed a nasty frown. "He is hiding something from us!"

"What's he hiding, Senor Castillo?" Chino asked.

"Ernesto De La Cruz's guitar!" The bald man shouted. "That's what! Your friend stole that song from Ernesto's grave and has been hiding it ever since!"

He went over to the fireplace and sprinkled green powder from a can. After chanting a spell, two ghostly figures appeared from the fireplace. One was a woman with short black hair in a green dress. The second figure was the one whom they know very well. The boys were freaked out at seeing the dead.

"Ah saludos, a Ernesto De La Cruz y Senorita Hilda!" Castillo greeted.

"Mucho gusto," they smiled.

"We've been looking for someone that still remembers me fondly," Ernesto smiled. "And who better than my devoted fan club and owners of my estate and masoleum?"

"How did you know Senorita Hilda?" Luis asked.

"My great-great Tio Raul Gonzales, knew her before she passed away," Castillo beamed.

"Si, he was one of my true friends," Hilda reminisced as an image of a handsome man with a strong jaw, blue eyes, and slick black hair, came to her mind. "I was afraid that someone would forget about me because my family hated me so much! Thank goodness, he has passed down memories of me to you, Castillo!"

"Likewise," Castillo smiled before changing the subject. "Speaking about your family, they stole his guitar!"

"Why am I not surprised?" the former musician grumbled. He never dreamed that the guitar he had stolen from Hector years ago, would be taken away from him.

"That family is probably hiding it just to spite us!" A second man, Juan, grumbled.

"Si!" one boy, Bernando piped up. "After all, they are the only family in Mexico that hates music!"

They all spat.

"Sorry, but I am confused," Chino laughed nervously. He could feel the tension in the room. "Stealing Ernesto's guitar? When did that take place?"

"This past Dia los Muertos!" Senor Castillo answered, still feeling angry. "The security guard called us that someone had stolen the guitar. He tried looking for the intruder but he couldn't find that person!"

"How did you know it was Miguel?" the boy questioned. He couldn't believe it! Sure, his friend was crazy about music but never to the point, to do something drastic.

"Well," Castillo proceeded. "A few witnesses had seen that Rivera boy running out of the cemetery, the next day, with that guitar! That's when we knew who's the intruder!" He turned to the former famous musician. "What do you think of this?"

"Why didn't you get it back from him!" Ernesto barked.

"We tried!" Bernando added. "The other night, I rounded up the gang here, went to his house and we demanded for the guitar back!"

"We even threw a rock at their window!" Another boy, Pedro said.

"You did WHAT!?" Chino exclaimed. As angry he was at his friend for committing a crime, he thought Bernando's activity was also questionable. "Don't you think that's a bit extreme?"

"That's not the point!" Castillo retorted, ignoring the boy's question. "What matters is that he committed a crime and the police won't help us!"

"Why?" one man, Alonso asked.

"They have a theory that Ernesto didn't write his songs-stole from a man that he killed."

Ernesto gulped. The police in the Land of the Living are turning his hometown against him? Now his goose is cooked!

"We thought vandalizing their house would scare Miguel into giving the instrument back but obviously, it didn't work!" Bernando grumbled.

"May I propose a better suggestion?" Hilda announced. Her smile was twisted. "Bring the boy to us."

"Bring him to you?" Castillo asked, confused.

"What she means is to bring him to the Land of the Dead," the former star clarified.

"But how-nobody goes to the Land of the Dead unless they die!" Chino argued. The other boys agreed.

"There is a way," Hilda smiled, evilly. "We want you to bring the boy to us so we can kill him!"

"K-K-Kill him!?" everybody but Ernesto and Hilda gasped. Soon everybody shouted protests. "This is crazy!" and "This is too much punishment for a crime!"

"SILENCIO!" Hilda shouted, causing the flames to roar. "We need to keep him silenced lest, he ruins Ernesto's legacy!"

"Si, I worked too hard to keep my legacy from being ruined and now everybody is turning against me, thanks to that brat!" the ex star complained. "I must get revenge on him!"

Castillo thought for a while.

"Well, your legacy is important and we don't want to lose our jobs as owners of your estate and masoleum, so we understand." Everybody else nodded.

"Wait!" Chino cried. The whole room stared at him. "How about we bring Miguel to the Land of the Dead but...don't kill him, just make him stay for a limited time," Chino suggested. "We don't want to get our hands covered in blood and I am sure you don't want his family to get suspicious."

"Oh please!" Hilda cackled. "His parents will think he died in an accident!"

"I'm talking about his deceased family!"

"Oh...them," Hilda muttered, remembering her troublesome niece, her dumb brothers, and her good-for-nothing husband. "I will deal with them but right now, we need to deal with Miguel!"

"Look, before we do anything crazy, how about I talk to Miguel into giving back the guitar?"

Hilda and Ernesto pondered on this suggestion.

"Very well, we will give you some time. But if Miguel doesn't return the guitar, then we will have no choice but to take him to the Land of the Dead!" said Hilda.

"You won't kill him, right?"

"We promised," Ernesto saluted. But nobody saw him crossing his fingers behind his back. Nor did they see Tia Hilda doing the same...

* * *

 **Author's notes: Before anybody panics, Miguel will NOT die in this this story. He will get kidnapped by the bad guys but Hector and the Riveras will save him before it is too late.**

 **In case you are confised, Ernesto still wants to get kidnap Miguel for revenge. He's just relaizing that he and Hilda need to put their plan into action quickly before the Riveras expose his crimes to Santa Cecilia.**


	15. Miguel wants a sister

**Author's notes: Here is something short and sweet to help you recover from last chapter**

* * *

A few weeks have passed.

Luisa was carrying a basket of clean laundry from the laundry room.

"Mi amor, let me help you!" Enrique babbled as he grabbed the basket from his wife, much to her annoyance.

"Enrique," she sighed. "I believe I could have carried it to the counter by myself."

"Well I believe, you shouldn't be working," her husband disagreed, putting the basket down on the counter. "You should be resting!" Since Luisa became with child, Enrique was over the moon. He and Luisa were thrilled to have a second child. For a long time, they wanted a brother or sister for Miguel but Luisa had trouble conceiving. The doctors advised them to be patient and keep trying. After years of trying, thier prayers were finally answered. Now the family's making sure that the baby'll be safe and healthy. Lately, Papa has been worrying over his expecting wife's well being.

"But I like to do something productive!" Luisa said firmly."I am tired of doing nada all the time!" She was grateful for her husband trying to help her but having him help her all the time when she didn't need it, seems to be too much.

"Now Luisa, I don't want anything to happen to you and the baby!"

Their son came into the living room, eating some slices of tangerine. He heard his parents talking loudly and thought to check on them. He smiled when his ears caught on the word "baby." The boy came up to his surprised mother and looked at her belly.

"Is the baby going to be a girl?"

His parents smiled at their son's enthusiasm.

"We will see, mijo," Luisa answered, ruffling his head.

"I hope it is a girl!" Miguel whispered, softly. "There are enough boys in the family. We need girls!"

"Hey what am I, chopped liver?" Rosa called out from the other room.

"I want a sister!" The boy pressed his face very gently to his mother's swollen belly. "Please please please be a sister!"

"Whether the baby is a boy or girl, you will get your sibling soon!" Luisa smiled softly.

"And we will raise her to love shoes and music!" His father winked.

Miguel looked as if his birthday is coming soon.


	16. Sewing machine and shoes

It has been a few days since that horrible woman paid an unfortunate visit to his new family. Hector wondered how was it that Tia Hilda was still here. He recalled keeping her prized item (an emerald necklace and earrings) off the ofrenda. It was something that he and Imelda had both agreed to do, after Hilda died from alcohol poisoning. They also haven't been passing down stories to Coco. If they did, it was always tales of caution to watch out for people like her. Unlike Ernesto, who kept up a facade, Hilda always showed her nasty her behavior was! He wished that he had been there to protect Imelda from Hilda's other uninvited visits. Yes, before Miguel dropped by, he had visited his wife unexpectedly too, but that was to beg for forgiveness. This woman just mocks his wife and her family! Just the thought of her last visit here, made him angry! The skeleton shook his head, not wanting to dwell any longer on that shrew.

Hector rose up from his bed and picked up his gift. Perhaps, this will cheer his wife up.

* * *

He found his wife standing on a ladder, organizing shoes on a shelf.

"Hola Imelda!" he greeted her.

The shoemaker turned her head to answer back.

"Hola, Hector."

But she turned too soon that she fell off the ladder-

-only to be caught in her husband's arms. Good thing he was quick or else she would have fallen apart! If the couple still had flesh, they would have been blushing.

After Hector put Imelda down, he grabbed from the counter what looked like a gift.

"I have something for you."

Imelda didn't know what to say, as she looked at a box with purple ribbons. But she took the gift, not wanting to be rude.

"What is it?" she asked, apprehensively.

"Open it!" Hector beamed, feeling a little bit giddy.

Many questions ran through Imelda's mind, as she untied the ribbons. What could he possibly bestow her? And what for? It's not her birthday or Los Pasados-

The moment she finished opening it, she gasped.

It was a brand new sewing machine!

"I um, felt bad for breaking your old one," Hector said, as he held his right arm. "I wanted to make it up to you-"

He was cut off when his wife suddenly, threw her arms around him. He almost lost his balance but leaned back on the counter for support, as he held her.

"Gracias," Imelda whispered to him. It was the sweetest thing that he has ever done for her, in a long time!

Hector mentally sighed in relief and hugged her back.

"Ahem!" a new voice coughed.

The couple turned to see their grand-daughter, who along with an amused Tia Rosita, had just entered the room.

"Sorry to interrupt but we need Hector," Victoria said. "He needs to work on his lessons."

Hector knew what she was referring to-lessons on how to be a patriarch of the family.

"All right, teacher," he teased. "What's the lesson for today?"

"Just call me Victoria," the woman rolled her eyes. Rosita giggled.

"Girls, it's not a good time!" Imelda frowned. "We are working today!"

"The shop doesn't open in an hour, abuelita," Victoria rolled her eyes.

"It won't take too long," Rosita assured the matriarch. "Just one lesson."

"Fine," Imelda grumbled.

The girls dragged the musician away to the living room.

Imelda stared at her sewing machine.

She thought how generous Hector acted toward her. How kind he was to give her something that she didn't expect! She wished she could do something for him-her new shoes for him don't seem to be enough.

Then, she got an idea of another gift for her husband!

* * *

"There, all patched up!" Imelda grinned, putting the straw hat on her husband's head nicely. "You look so much better now!"

Later in the evening, Hector smiled as he stood in front of the mirror. The tattered tan pants had been replaced with a pair of brand new ones. His raggedy blue-violet jacket had been nicely, converted into a vest. The red scarf had been washed and cleaned. The straw hat had been mended, too. He couldn't remember the last time he looked this nice.

"I was always guapo, yes?" He joked, flashing his smile that would make a girl swoon. Imelda rolled her eyes but there was small smirk on her lips. She elbowed him lightly, in his right humerus bone. The musician smiled sheepishly.

"That's not all," she said. "I have one more present for you!"

 _One more gift?_ Hector wondered as he watched his wife walking out of the room.

Seconds later, Imelda came back from her room with a box in her hands. She seemed to be looking at it, as if it were precious gold.

"Here you go, Hector."

Her husband looked surprised when she handed him the box. He looked into his wife's face as he took the gift gently.

"Well, that face intrigues me!" He teased. "What's in here? Is it chocolates? Bubblegum? Or was it those American baseball cards-"

"Just open it and you'll see!" Imelda barked, crossing her arms. Honestly, must he ruin a sweet moment? She was trying to be nice to him, for the first time in forever!

"Okay, okay," Hector chuckled, as he opened the gift. The moment his eyes spotted what was inside, he gasped. It was a pair of brown shoes. Rivera style.

"I made them for you!" Imelda smiled, proudly, her eyes closed. "Try them on, but I assure you they will fit!"

She didn't notice her husband's fingertips shaking as he tenderly held a card, that also appeared in a box.

"Oh my gosh, Imelda!" he gasped. "Did you make this, too!?"

The card read in its fancy cursive:

 **Welcome back to the family**

 **"** Well yes!" the shoemaker huffed, crossing her arms again. "I'm better at making shoes than at cards, so if you don't like it-"

"Like it?" the musician spoke, with such happiness. It was clear that he was touched by the card, not concerned with its lack of artistic designs. He put his hands around the woman's shoulders. "That's all I ever wanted!" He pulled his startled wife into a hug. "Thank you, Imelda." The woman breathed a sigh of relief and smiled.

"Your welcome mi amor," she spoke softly, hugging him back. They stayed in each other's arms for five minutes, pulling away. "Now put them on, it is time for dinner."

* * *

Author's notes: The second scene was inspired by a Coco comic by Demon-Silverwing from DeviantArt. I thought it would fit well with my story.


	17. How Hector met Imelda part one

Later in the afternoon,the whole family was gathered into the loving room, doing their daily activities. On a table, Enrique, Berto, Carmen,,and Gloria, were drawing ideas for their new shoes. They were all were dancing shoes. Berto doubts anyone in Mexico would be interested in ballet shoes. But Enrique is confident that they will boost up thier family business. Miguel was sitting down on the couch next to Luisa, who was knitting socks for her baby. Next to her, was Mama Coco, who was doing broidery work. Franco , was sitting in a chair, reading a newspaper while Elena read a cookbook, beside him. Rosa and Abel joined on the couch, along with Manny and Benny.

"Mama Coco, can you tell me another story about Papa Hector?" Miguel asked, smiling.

"Sure, mijo," Coco beamed. "Which story?"

"How did he meet Mama Imelda?"

"Oh I'd like to know how that happened, too!" Rosa agreed, nodding.

"I bet it is a better love story than Twilight!" Abel commented. Everybody raised an eyebrow at the nineteen year old. They had never heard the strange series of a girl and a vampire boy.

"Miguel, I dont think your bisabuela feels comfortable talking about it." Elena said, cautiously.

"Now, now Elena, I do feel comfortable talking about it," the elder lady assured her daughter. "I don't know what the sky has to do with my parents," she shrugged. "But what I do know is that they love each other much."

"Was it love at first sight or a slow burn?" Miguel asked, eagerly. Usually, he could careless about love and kissing. But his journey to the Land of the Dead, taught him that Mama Imelda still held feelings for Papa Hector. Learning about Hector's love life, would help him keep his memory alive.

"There is no such thing as love at first sight, Miguel!" Rosa scoffed.

"Si, that only exists in fairtyales!" Abel added.

"That's enough, you two! " Franco chastised them.

"It wasnt exactly love at first sight," Mama Coco recalled. "But this is what happpened...,"

 _It had been a few months since Hector and Ernesto came to an orphange in Santa Cecilia. Living there had been a mixed blessing for the boys. On one hand, they have shelter, beds, and food-even if it was not enough to feed every child. But on the other hand, the rooms were so dirty that you can see cobwebs in every corner, mice scatter everywhere,, and the nuns whip you for being disobedient or unruly._

 _One day, Hector crawled out of the window, hopped on the nearest tree branch and climbed down. After a few minutes, the boy landed safely on the ground. Hector scanned his surroundings. People were walking by going on with their daily activities. Relieved that there were nuns or cops around, Hector took a stroll._

 _He came upon a marketplace that was full of many people shopping for food. One stall caught is eye. it was a stall of oranges. Stomach growling, Hector wished to take one. So he feached his grubby fingers and grabbed an orange. Before he peel it, a big hand snatched it away from him._

 _"What do you think you are doing, boy?" theorange vendor grolwed._

 _"E-eating an orange?" The boy stammered._

 _"No you are not!" the vendor snarled. "You were stealing!"_

 _"Tengo hambre!" Hector whined. He didn't undertand what did he do wrong._

 _Before the vendor could find an officer go arrest Hector, he felt someone kicking him in the shin. "OW!"_

 _"Oye Senor!" a young feminie voice piped up._

 _Hector and the vendor spotted a girl. She looked to be about thirteen years old, wore a purple dress and sported a long braid._

 _"I told my friend here to buy oranges for me."_

 _"He didn't have any money!" The vendor protested. "He was trying to eat the orange without buying it!"_

 _"Well, maybe if you lower your prices then maybe, people would not feel the need to steal your food!" the girl spoke firmly. She pulled a few coins out of her pocket."Lucky for you, I have money here, which I had forgotten to give to my friend. So here is your change, and we will be on our way!"_

 _The vendor reluctantly took the girl's money and gave the boy back his orange. "Fine, but if I ever see one of you stealing, I will notify the cops. Comprehende?"_

 _"Comprehendo, Senor!" the children chorused._

 _After the man walked back to his stall, Hector turned to the young girl._

 _"Wow, gracias for saving me!"_

 _"No problemo!" the girl shurgged, trying to act like it was nothing._

 _Suddenly, two young male voices shouting, "Hermana! Hermana!"_

 _The girl sighed, wanting to talk longer woth this boy. "Lo siento, I have to go."_

 _"Wait!" Hector called as she took few steps forward. He was relieced when she stopped and turned to look at him. "Como te llamas?"_

 _"Imelda," the girl smiled. "Y tu?"_

 _"Hector." The boy grinned. "When can I see you again?"_

 _Imelda heard her brothers calling for her again._

 _"Right here in the marketplace. Same spot!" she responded quickly, before taking off. She waved him goodbye and Hector waved back._

 _"What a nice girl!" the boy thought. It's not everyday that someone would go out of their way, to help you when accused of theft. Imelda. He mulled over that name in his head, so he can remember it forever._

* * *

"...But they never saw each other again," Mama Coco recalled. "Not until five years later."

"So how did they meet again?" Miguel asked eagerly.

"Well, they met again when Papa was seveteen and when Mama was eighteen...,"


	18. How Hector met Imelda part two

**Author's notes: This is sort of a continuation of How Hector Met Imelda.**

 **When Hector sings, the lyrics are underlined. He sings "Up on the Roof" by James Taylor**

* * *

"When Papa was fourteen, he left the orphanage and traveled with Tio Ernesto to play music for the world," Mama Coco proceeded. "Three years later, he and Ernesto came back to Santa Cecilia after their last gig didn't go so well."

"Why am I not surprised?" Elena grumbled to herself. Even though, the music ban was over, the old woman was still struggling with her negative thoughts of music. Her mother pretended not to hear and continued her story.

"As much as Papa enjoyed playing music with Ernesto, he felt lonely...,"

* * *

 _Hector was sitting on the steps of an old stage at the Plaza. He was strumming his guitar with cloudy eyes and a frown. He gave out a sad sigh._

 _"Why Hector, what is the problem?" His boisterous friend asked, plopping down next to him._

 _"Oh Ernesto, it's just that...I wished that there was a family I could call on my own," Hector said, in a lonesome boice. "Someone whom I could share with my love of music."_

 _"Oh Hector," Ernesto laughed, hitting Hector on the back. His laugh sounded unsympathetic. " I am the only family you'll ever have!_

 _Why complain about what we do not have, when we should be thankful for what we have?"_

 _"What are you trying to say?" Hector said exasperatedly._

 _"That orphans like you do not have a chance because you are almost an adult and poor," His friend chuckled. "The idea of you having a family is impossible!"_

 _"Ernesto!"_

 _"Hey," the muscular man put his hands up in defense. "I am only trying to be realistic." Feeling thirsty, he quickly left to get a drink, not bothering to ask his skinny friend if he would like one._

 _Hector let out another sad sigh. Maybe his friend was right. But that still didn't mean that he. couldn't hope._

* * *

"And Mama was-well, you all know whom she and Tios Oscar and Felipe has been living with," Coco said, in a scared voice.

"Tia Hilda?" Abel asked. The whole family except Miguel, Manny, and Benny gasped. Elena smacked her eldest grandson with her sandal for speaking that name.

"Tia Hilda?" Manny said, confused.

"Who's she?" Benny asked Miguel.

"To be honest, I never heard of Tia Hilda," the twelve year old replied. "In fact I never saw her in the Land of the Dead, either."

"We don't speak of her, very much," Enrique said gravely.

"Oh she's a demon woman!" Elena exclaimed, shivering.

"My Mama and Tios Oscar and Felipe had kind parents. But when they passed away, they were left in the care of...her," Mama Coco shuddered, not daring to say the name. "Everyday was the same routine…"

* * *

 _" Imelda!" A shrill female voice yelled, throughout the house, ringing her bell. She was in her bed, sleeping the day away._

 _Imelda came running down from the kitchen in tattered clothes. She winced as she faced her aunt whose face was red with anger._

 _"S-Si Tia Hilda?"_

 _"Where is my coffee and breakfast in bed?" The woman barked._

 _"It's c-coming Tia-"_

 _"When I said I want my breakfast, I want it now, you useless girl! Now give it to me now!"_

 _Imelda ran and got the coffee, which was perfectly brewed. She also gathered her breakfast of eggs and tortillas. She served them on a plate and served it to her aunt. Hilda took a sip of her coffee and spat it out at the Imelda. The liquid was so hot that it burned Imelda's face!_

 _"You call this coffee?!" The cold woman yelled shaking her cup at the fifteen year old girl. She didn't care that the girl was screaming in pain._

 _"SILENCIO!" The aunt threw her cup at her niece, in the head. The girl grabbed her head and rushed outside to the well. Hopefully the water will soothe her wound._

 _Hilda called her brothers._

 _"OSCAR! FELIPE!"_

 _The two boys came running quickly from their room. They had been sweeping and washing the floors._

 _"S-Si Tia Hilda?" they both stammered._

 _"Give me something to drink! Your stupid sister didn't make my coffee the right way!"_

 _"Yes Tia Hilda!"_

 _"And why isn't the yard cleaned?"_

 _"W-we are getting to your yard!" Felipe responded._

 _"Bullshit!" She snarled. "You two are just as slow and stupid as your sister! Now get to work or else I'll sell you three to slavery!"_

 _The twins dashed out of the room._

* * *

 _Later in the evening, Imelda's face was no longer in pain but sported a red mark._

 _All day she had been cooking and cleaning while her brothers only slaved away in the yard._

 _While making food for her aunt and brothers, she jumped at the sound of the door slamming. Imelda cringed. Her aunt was here. She had been socializing with her rude friends at a tavern._

 _Before the girl could hide, Hilda grabbed her by the shoulder._

 _"I just want to tell you something for a long time!" She snarled. "You are not very pretty and you are not bright!" When the aunt turned to go upstairs, she tripped over something and fell flat on her face._

 _"What the hell!?" She yelled. "BOYS!"_

 _Imelda smirked to herself. Leave it to Oscar and Felipe to leave one of their gadgets lying around. But as funny it was, Imelda had to help her aunt up to her bedroom._

* * *

 _Later, Imelda was sleeping by the fireplace, her face spotted with ashes and cinder. Her brothers were sleeping outside by the well._

 _The girl couldn't help but wish that things were different._

 _"I wish I could find a way to leave this place along with my brothers. Find a new place to live, and maybe find someone who loves and understands me. That way, there wouldn't be any trouble at all."_

* * *

 _One day, Imelda went to the marketplace to buy some food for her brothers. Felipe and Oscar came along, not wanting to put up with Tia Hilda. (Besides Hilda was still in one of her hangovers, so they are good for three hours!)._

 _"Let's go and get some apples!" Felipe said to his brother. His twin agreed. While they busied themselves to apples, their sister went to another cart, trying to find avocados. Suddenly, a musical tune reached her ears. It was so tender and so sweet that Imelda had to find out where it was coming from. Her eyes spotted a tall and lanky man with a guitar in his hands. He seemed to be focusing on his playing. The woman noticed that the man seemed familiar. Where had she seen him before? Before she could go and talk to that man, someone came and blocked her view._

 _"Hola Imelda, why don't you come home with me for the night?" a rude masculine voice said._

 _Imelda mentally groaned. Raul, one of the town's handsome bachelors, was hitting on her. He was one of the men that always trying to get her to spend a night with him. Her nose scrunched up in disgust at his request._

 _"No, thank you!" she said, boldly. "Perdoname!"_

 _But Raul wouldn't let her budge. He pressed himself against her, which made her uncomfortable._

 _"Oh you don't know what you're missing!"_

 _Imelda's eyes widened when he grabbed her by the arm so roughly._

 _"Oye, let go of me!"_

 _"Shut up, you tramp-"_

 _Somebody tapped Raul on the shoulder. When he turned around-WHAM! He was met with the biggest punch he ever had in his life! He groaned, falling to the ground._

 _Imelda was surprised to see who her savior was._

 _"When a woman says no, she means no!" the guitarist snapped at the fallen man._

 _Raul got up and quickly ran away. He didn't expect to be punched by someone who was scrawnier than him!_

 _"Are you all right, senorita?" the young man smiled._

 _"Si, gracias," Imelda said gratefully. "Come te llamas?"_

 _"Me llamo Hector Rivera."_

 _The girl looked into the man's eyes._

 _"Hector, have we met before? You looked...familiar."_

 _"I think so" he answered, studying her features. Then he broke out into a smile. "Weren't you the girl who saved me when I was accused for stealing fruit?"_

 _"SI!" Imelda beamed. She wrapped her arms around the man. "My, you grew so tall!"_

 _"You-you look good," Hector stuttered, looking into her eyes. He could hold her like this, forever._

 _Just then, the sounds of their names being called out by one friend and two brothers, reached their ears. Both of them sighed, wishing they could spend a little more time together._

 _"I have to go," Imelda said with an apologetic smile. "When can I see you again?"_

 _"How about here at the plaza?" Hector suggested. "I'm always here performing every night."_

 _"Sounds like a good idea."_

* * *

 _From then on, Imelda would make trips to the plaza, as much as she could. But it wasn't easy leaving the house because her aunt was always giving her so much work to do. She never let the girl go outside unless it was to do chores. Imelda had to sneak out of the house while her brothers cover for her. If her aunt ever asked the boys, "Donde esta your useless sister?" they'd respond, "She went to the market to buy food." Only that answer would satisfy Tia Hilda._

 _At the plaza, there was always a big crowd watching their two favorite musicians singing and playing their guitars. While other women paid attention to Ernesto, Imelda only focused on Hector. The way his eyes lit up everytime he spun around while singing, made her heart flutter. She found the lanky man to be truly musically talented (and cute too!)._

 _Hector loved playing for Imelda. She's the only girl that made him smile no matter what._

* * *

 _One evening, after Hector and Ernesto performed for the day, the crowd started to depart. Usually Imelda would always be there waving at him and he'd waved back too. But tonight, she wasn't there. He scanned through the crowd, hoping to find her face. Maybe she didn't come today? Maybe she left early? He hoped that she was okay._

 _Ernesto rolled his eyes and pulled his friend aside for a private talk._

 _"Hector, I'm glad that you are finally meeting women, but why are you so concerned about Imelda?"_

 _"What's wrong with her?" the musician whispered. "She's very nice and smart, too."_

 _"Rumor has it, that she has an aunt who drinks a lot and her brothers are not very bright!"_

 _"Come on Ernesto, you don't believe that, do you?" Hector chastised his friend._

 _"Of course I do!" The muscle man hissed. "The whole town knows about it! She's not worth it! Some folks even say she is trash!"_

 _"Ernesto, I refuse to believe those rumors," Hector said firmly. "Even if they are true, we must say nothing but kind things about her._

 _"But Hector-"_

 _Oye, like Sister Maria once told me , ' Reckless words pierce like a sword , but the tongue of the wise brings healing. "'_

 _"Whatever, I'm getting a drink," Ernesto puffed, giving up. "You want anything?"_

 _"No thank you, I'm going home early." Hector said, sternly. As soon as Ernesto left for the bar, the lanky musician entered back onto the stage. He sat down on the steps of the plaza and began strumming his guitar. His eyes spotted the person whom he wanted to see so badly. She was sitting down on the steps, wringing her hands._

 _"Imelda?"_

 _"Oh hola Hector," she said, perking up. "I-I'm sorry that I didn't come. I wanted to but-"_

 _"Oh forget it," he said, kindly. The musician frowned when he noticed the girl looking at the ground. "Que pasa? What's wrong?" Imelda stiffened up. She didn't want to show him that she was weak._

 _"Nada."_

 _"Are you sure?"_

 _"Si, I'm fine!" she said a bit too loudly. "W-Why do you ask?"_

 _"You looked a little sad."_

 _"I do not!" the woman denied. When Hector raised his eyebrow at her, Imelda sighed. She knew she could not lie but she didn't want to tell him that her aunt stopped her from sneaking out today. "I wanted to come and see you sing, as usual. Really, I do! But my aunt dumped so much chores on me that I couldn't get them done in time!"_

 _"It's all right," he said sympathetically. Bitter memories of his father made him cringe. Were the stories true? Was Imelda's aunt anything like his father? No, he would not believe these rumors. It would be best to hear from Imelda if he wanted to know her family. "Is your aunt strict?"_

 _"Si, you can say that," the woman said slowly. She quickly changed the subject. "Hector, what do you do when you feel downhearted?"_

 _"Well, singing helps me," he beamed. A new song formed as he began playing his instrument. "I find that it lifts up my spirits."_

 _When this old world starts getting me down_

 _And people are just too much for me to face_

 _I climb way up to the top of the stairs_

 _And all my cares just drift right into space_

 _On the roof, it's peaceful as can be_

 _And there the world below can't bother me_

 _Let me tell you now_

 _When I come home feelin' tired and beat_

 _I go up where the air is fresh and sweet (up on the roof)_

 _I get away from the hustling crowd_

 _And all that rat-race noise down in the street (up on the roof)_

 _On the roof, the only place I know_

 _Where you just have to wish to make it so_

 _Let's go up on the roof (up on the roof)_

 _Hector led Imelda to an inn that he and Ernesto were staying. They went upstairs and came up on the roof. The woman gasped. The view of Santa Cecilia was so breathtaking! She could see every house down there, every light, every tree, and every person! She could even see the mountains from here!_

 _At night the stars put on a show for free_

 _And, darling, you can share it all with me_

 _Thier eyes spotted a shooting star above the mountains._

 _I keep a-tellin' you_

 _Right smack dab in the middle of town_

 _I've found a paradise that's trouble proof (up on the roof)_

 _And if this world starts getting you down_

 _There's room enough for two_

 _Up on the roof (up on the roof)_

 _Up on the roo-oo-oof (up on the roof)_

 _Oh, come on, baby (up on the roof)_

Oh, _come on, honey (up on the roof)_

 _Everything is all right (up on the roof)_

 _Imelda leaned her head against Hector's shoulder. Gone were the thoughts of her wicked aunt. They were replaced with thoughts of the lovely view of Santa Cecilia. And thoughts of this wonderful man, who always make her heart skip a beat._

 _"That was the most beautiful thing I ever heard." She complimented him._

 _"Gracias Imelda," Hector blushed. He put his arm around her waist. Leaning his head on top of hers, the musician let out a happy sigh. He never felt this happy before. Could it be love? Is this what love feels like?_


	19. A possible suspect

"Was it easy for Papa Hector to see Mama Imelda?" Miguel asked.

"Oh no," Mama Coco shook her head. "It was not easy for him. He had to sneak out when Tio 'Nesto was sleeping. I don't know why but Tio 'Nesto didn't like Papa seeing Mama."

Miguel and the rest of the family wondered that, too.

* * *

" _Hector, this foolish romance must be stopped!" Ernesto shouted. The two men were in their hotel room while practicing their guitars. His statement made the tall and scrawny man accidentally strum the wrong note._

 _"Foolish!?" Hector was appalled. "My love for Imelda is true, not foolish!"_

 _"It may be true but you've been spending time with her more than playing music!"_

 _"I still write and play music!" Hector defended._

 _"Yes but what happens when you two decide to get married? If you keep up this courtship, we will never achieve our dream of becoming musicians!" Ernesto barked. "That woman will make you give up your dream!"_

 _"Don't be ridiculous!" Hector snapped. "Imelda would never make me do something against my will! Besides, I haven't proposed to her!"_

 _"Don't bother asking her to marry you," the cleft chin man added. "Her aunt will never allow it-another reason why you should give up on Imelda!"_

 _"No, I am not going to give up on her!" Hector cried. "Even if her aunt says no, I will not stop fighting for Imelda. I will show them that I am worthy enough to be Imelda's husband!"_

 _"Good luck with that," Ernsto muttered, before leaving the room for a drink._

* * *

 _"You've been seeing a man, haven't you?" Tia Hilda snarled at her niece._

 _Imelda jumped at her aunt's voice, while she was sweeping the courtyard. How did she know?_

 _"How did you-"_

 _"I heard people on the streets talking about you seeing a man-is that true?"_

 _"Si," Imelda said bravely. "What's wrong with that?"_

 _"What's wrong? Ha!" Hilda laughed. "I'll tell you what's wrong! Men are animals. They act all sweet and nice to you, but eventually, they'll get bored of you and leave you for another woman!"_

 _"Rubbish!" huffed Imelda._

 _"Oh you don't believe me?" the older woman sneered. "That man of yours will have his way with you and leave you forever! Just you wait!"_

 _"That's not true!" the young girl yelled. "Hector's not like that! He's a true gentleman! He loves and respects me, just as much as I love and respect him!"_

 _"Who would ever love and respect you?" The older woman mocked as she walked away. "He will leave you, just like your parents did!"_

 _Imelda bit her tongue and kept on sweeping, blocking her aunt's taunting words._

 _"My parents didn't leave me and the boys. They died." Her mind thought back to that one night when Hector sang to her. She recounted his sweet smile and his lingering gazes on her. Love is what the woman sensed from the young musician. Her heart knows what she and Hector have is love, why couldn't her aunt understand? Even if Hector decided to marry someone else, at least she'll be happy knowing that someone loved her. Still, Imelda hoped to one day be Hector's wife._

"Well, despite whatever Tio Nesto and Tia Hilda thought, Papa and Mama still continued to see each other," Mama Coco continued, her eyes sparkling. "It wasn't too long before Papa asked Mama to marry him, and she said yes! Oh Papa was so happy that he let out a grito while picking Mama up and spun her around. Mama laughed as he did that. When he put her down, they shared a kiss that was longer and sweeter than any of the kisses they had shared!"

The adults awed and sighed in happiness.

"Que romantico!" Rosa gushed.

("Bleh!" Manny and Benny groaned, sticking their tongues out).

"Did Papa Hector have to get Tia Hilda's permission and blessing to marry Mama Imelda?" Miguel asked.

Mama Coco's smile faded away and was replaced with a troubling frown.

"Oh, I don't think they asked. I think they eloped."

The whole family gasped.

"But why did they elope?" the preteen boy sputtered.

"Miguel, I think that is enough stories for now." Elene spoke up. She did it quickly before Mama Coco could answer. Like her grandson, the old woman didn't know either but she had a feeling why her abuelo and abuelita eloped. It was for reasons that her children and grandchildren (especially her grandchildren) should not know. "Time for you to do your homework."

"But Abuelita, I have already done my homework!"

"Now don't you start…"

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

"Ah I wonder who could that be?" Enrique wondered as he walked toward the door. He opened it to find a boy who looked about fourteen, standing in the doorway. "Um, can I help you?" The man didn't know why, but there was something about that teen that unsettled him.

"I like to speak to Miguel."

Enrique's son came to the door, surprised to see his friend here.

"Chino, what are you doing here?" Not that Miguel was unhappy to see his school friend. It was rare for him to receive a visit from one of his schoolmates. "Do you need help with a school assignment?"

"No, I am not here for that," Chino replied. "I am here for the guitar."

"What?" Miguel was not sure if he heard his friend correctly.

"Do you still have that guitar which you took from the cemetery?"

"Si, but didn't we have this conversation before-"

"I like to have that guitar now!" Chino interrupted rudely.

Miguel's eyes widened and so did his father's. The rest of the family shared each other worried looks about this odd request.

"No, you can't have it," Miguel replied, firmly. "It belonged to my great-great grandfather, Hector."

"That's right," Enrique added, standing straight. "The guitar is a family heirloom."

"Ha!" Chino scoffed. "Since when has the guitar been a family heirloom? Everyone knows it belongs to Ernesto De La Cruz!"

"No, that's not true!" the twelve-year-old shook his head. "I understand the confusion, but the guitar really did belong to Papa Hector!"

"Why do you want it?" Enrique asked. He was mad at Chino but was still trying to stay calm.

"Look, I am told to get the guitar by someone, so give it to me or-"

WHAP!

Chino was hit in the face by a brown chancla, which was being held by a very angry Elena.

"Stop pestering my family!" She yelled, sticking her shoe into Chino's nose.

"Dona, can you please get your shoe off my face?"

"Can you please get your face out of my hacienda?"

"Abuelita, calm down!" Miguel said, trying to soothe her. Not that he was defending his friend, but the last thing he wanted was his grandma to make a scene.

"Who are you working for?" Enrique demanded, while restraining his mother.

When Elena lifted her shoe up from Chino's face, expecting an answer, it wasn't what she hoped for.

"I cannot tell you," the teenaged boy admitted. He was hit by Elena's shoe again.

"TALK!"

"I can't tell but please give me the guitar!"

"No, you cannot! Now leave!" Enrique barked.

Before Chino could say another word, Abuelita shoved her shoe in his face. Scared of being hit again, the teenaged boy ran away.

"And stay out!" Abuelita shouted before slamming the door shut.

"That friend of yours is suspicious, Miguel," Tia Carmen pondered.

"Oh you don't think he was one of those hooligans that vandalized our home, do you?" Franco said in a shaky voice. His hands were trembling.

"Oh no, he could be!" Tia Gloria gasped horribly.

"No, impossible," Miguel shook his head. "Chino was out of town when that happened."

"Then why was he asking for the guitar?" Rosa questioned.

"Should we notify the police?" Abel asked. "He could be a suspect."

"That is a good idea, mijo," Tio Berto agreed.

"But Chino is innocent!" Miguel argued. "Why would he vandalize our home when he had been out of town?"

"We're not saying he did, mijo," Luisa said gently. "But he could be a suspect. His behavior was odd, don't you agree?"

"Si."

"All the more reason to take caution," Enrique added sternly, to his son. "Until we find out who vandalized our home and bring Papa Hector to justice, I do not want you speaking about the case or the guitar to Chino."

"But Papa, he is my friend!"

"Friend or not, I don't want you talking about it to anyone outside of the family and authorities!"

Miguel pleaded again but was silenced by his father's glare.

"Do you understand Miguel?"

"Si," the boy sighed in defeat.

"Let's go to bed, everybody," Elena said, trying to diffuse the tension.

Everybody agreed and turned in for the night.

The matriarch of the family noticed that the boy hadn't moved from his spot.

"Elena, let me speak to Miguelito," she told her daughter.

Abuelita looked between her mother and her grandson. "All right," she sighed. "But I don't think he is in the mood to talk." She went to the kitchen to make hot cocoa, thinking that it would cheer him up.

"Miguel," Mama Coco spoke gently. "Are you okay?"

The boy wondered why his great grandma would ask that question. Either she was beginning to lose her memory again or she was being nice.

"Oh out of all the possible suspects, why do they have to pick on Chino?"

"They are being cautious, mijo. Just trying to eliminate possible suspects."

"But Chino is my best friend!" the boy argued. "He would never hurt me!" His anger cooled down when he saw the old woman looking troubled.

"That is what Papa said about Tio Nesto," Mama Coco said, softly.

"Verdad?"

"Si, I recall Mama warning Papa something about Tio Nesto. I don't remember why but she was suspicious of him. When Mama told Papa, he brushed off her warnings, and assured her they had nothing to worry about. He also said the exact same thing 'Ernesto is my best friend. He would never hurt me!' Mama Coco paused before she continued. "Sometimes...I wonder if...Papa was hurt by Nesto...just like Mama predicted."

Miguel wasn't sure what to say. So many emotions were whirling around in his head. Would Chino betray him just like how Ernesto betrayed Papa Hector?

"I'll be cautious, Mama Coco," the child promised her.


	20. Nightmares

"What do you mean, you didn't get the guitar?"

The former musician had never felt so angry, since the day Miguel humiliated him last Dia dos Muertos. "I gave you one job to do Chino! One job!"

"I'm telling you, Ernesto, I couldn't get it back!" Chino clarified. "His family kicked me out! Did you see his Abuela? Boy, she's like a lioness!" A shudder ran down his spine, feeling his face. He never wanted to come near her or her boot ever again!

"Never mind about the guitar!" Hilda snapped. "You were supposed to bring that boy here! That is what I really want!"

"As if his family would allow that!" Chino said so rudely.

"Any idea what are we going to do?" One of the members asked.

"We need a new plan," the leader suggested. "Something simple and straightforward."

"Sí, Senor Castillo," the evil skeleton lady agreed. "Let's go back to our original plan: Kill Miguel."

"No, let us not stoop so low to do that!" Chino protested. "I'll see if I can bring him to you. Please consider it, Hilda!"

"Fine!" Hilda snapped. She took deep breaths to control her frustration. "I will give you three more chances to bring Miguel to us. If by the third time, he refuses to come, then you will have to kill him. He must come to the Land of the Dead, so Ernesto and I can deal with him. Do you understand?"

("Why are you talking as if I am not here?" Ernesto grumbled).

"Sí comprehendo," Chino and other members agreed. Though they secretly, hoped that they would not have to take drastic measures. The police are more likely on the Rivera family's side than theirs. What would the police say if they caught them doing physical harm to one of the Riveras?

"While you skinsacks, try to talk to Imelda's brat, I will find a way to kill her and her toy boy. Then I can rid of him without worrying about them trying to stop me! Lasta Vista!"

"Wait!" Ernesto cried as soon as he and Hilda poofed out of the fireplace. They appeared back into their hideout in Shantytown.

The 42-year-old man turned his head to the old woman. His face reminded one of a toddler who cannot have a treat before dinner. "What about the guitar?"

"Forget the stupid instrument, you bonehead!" Hilda snapped. "They are never going to give it back-even if Castillo and the members try to do it by force! Besides, we are wasting time and you need to prioritize your needs."

"But-"

"Look, what's more important to you: fame or revenge?"

"Revenge," Ernesto said without hesitation. Once upon a time, he may have dreamed of fame. Now that Miguel took it away from him, revenge was his only goal.

"Correct, you brainless wart head," the old woman nodded. "You want revenge on Miguel, I want revenge on Imelda and Hector. We are just getting sidetracked from our goals. Just remember this: First, get rid of the family. And then, we can claim your guitar and the Rivera money." She chuckled as she rubbed her bony hands together. "Oh think of all what we could do with money! I'd have a ball and fool around!"

"May I ask you a question?" The former star, said raising his hand.

The woman growled, annoyed that he interrupted her train of thought.

"If it's about the guitar, forget it!"

"No, no," the former star chuckled. "I mean, what did you do that made Hector and Imelda ban you from the family ofrenda? I know Imelda is a shrew, but Hector is very easy to get along with. He loved everybody and everyone loved him-even when they were put off by his big nose and ears." He scowled. "Even when they questioned why he hangs out with me so much because he is better at music than me-"

"All right, all right, all right!" Hilda barked, feeling incredibly annoyed. "I will tell you why! All I did was throw Imelda off the roof, boo boo hoo! Hector caught me on a bad day!"

"You threw Imelda off the roof!?"

Ugh, you sound like her idiotic husband-always overreacting!" Hilda scoffed. "Anyway, I asked Imelda to do a household task-what was it again? Oh yeah, sweeping the courtyard. The courtyard was clean but not clean enough! And on top of that, she messed up on her other chores. So I found her on the rooftop..."

* * *

 _Imelda yelped as she fell to the ground. She held her cheek, trying to ease the pain. The young woman was used to being slapped in the face but this time, her aunt hit her harder than usual._

 _"Well, well, well! If it isn't my stupid niece!" Hilda sneered. She raised her voice. "YOU STUPID GIRL!" The woman grabbed her niece's head and forced her to look at the courtyard from the roof._ " _LOOK AT THIS! LOOK AT THIS! DOES THIS LOOK CLEAN TO YOU! NO, IT DOES NOT!"_

" _Please do not yell at me!" Imelda pleaded, her voice shaking. "The courtyard is clean. I did sweep it. I even checked it to make sure-"_

" _YOU DARE TO DEFY ME!? IT WAS NOT CLEAN ENOUGH YOU DUMBASS! BOY, YOU ARE DUMBER THAN SHIT!"_

 _So consumed by her rage, Hilda took out her whip and began whipping Imelda! The poor girl felt as if she were being burned by flames_.

 _"STOP!" Imelda screamed. "PLEASE STOP!"_

 _But her pleas fell on deaf ears._

 _"TIA, POR FAVOR STOP_!"

 _The young woman made an attempt to crawl away. But before she could, she felt her aunt lifting her up by the arms, and the next thing Imelda knew, she felt herself being pushed off the roof_!

 _"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH! HELP ME!"_

* * *

Somewhere Imelda woke up gasping, with a cold sweat. She whipped her head around the room. All she saw was her lamp stand, vanity mirror, closet, and dresser, and a door. Although relieved that a certain relative is not here, the matriarch felt her bones still shaking and rattling. Tears cascaded from her cheeks. Imelda curled up in her body and put her head in her lap. "Why did did I dream of that awful memory?"

The door opened as Hector rushed into her bedroom.

"Imelda, que pasa? I heard you screaming!"

His wife quickly looked up and wiped away her tears. Even though she was touched by her husband's concern, Imelda felt embarrassed that he saw her cry. Actually she shouldn't be crying at all. Adult women do not cry over nightmares!

"Nada Hector. Just a bad dream."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Hector asked hesitantly.

"No!" Imelda said. "No, I do not."

"Are you sure?"

" Sí, I am fine!"

The patriarch sighed. How could he comfort his wife if she would not tell him, what's bothering her? But if being alone would make her feel better, then he will leave her alone. He was about to exit when he heard her calling out to him.

"Hector, wait! Please stay."

The musician was dumbfounded by her request. His wife, the woman who banned him from the family, nearly erased his existence, and rejected him many times, was asking him to stay? In her bedroom? This was all so new to Hector that it took him a long time to process that information. "Wait, what?"

"I am asking you to stay with me," the shoemaker repeated.

Hector gazed into Imelda's eyes. Realizing how much she needs him, he sat down on the bed, after Imelda scooted over. The musician got underneath the covers. His wife stood up from bed and fetched him a second pillow from the closet. Then she went back into bed.

As soon as Hector made himself comfortable, Imelda leaned close to him. "Hold me," she softly spoke. She gently, rested her phalanges on his clavicles. She nuzzled her head in her husband's cervical vertebrae.

Hector was startled at her touch. All those times that he tried to talk to her, she would do nothing more than slam the door in his face or run away from him. Then when they teamed up to get his photo back from Ernesto and get Miguel home, things began to change. They had agreed that there would be little to no physical contact, and he was not allowed to touch her. Only she could touch him. So far they had done nothing more than handshakes. Even though he remembered her hugging him at the Spectacular Sunset concert, it was still a surprise to be receiving hugs from her. At her command, Hector wrapped his arms around his wife's spine. He held her as if she were made of glass.

"Don't leave me," she whispered into his non existent ear. Her voice sent a pleasant shiver that traveled on Hector's spine.

"I won't," Hector whispered back. "I promise."

Then they fell asleep in each other's arms. This time, no bad dreams came upon Imelda. Only serenity.

 **NOTES** : **So in case you are confused, while Hilda was recalling the time she threw Imelda off the roof, Imelda was having a nightmare about it at the same time.**

 **I want to give Hilda and Ernesto another villain song in this chapter but I ended up not doing it because it was stalling the plot. I will save it for a future chapter. I apologize for messing up the Spanish language, my keyboard does not have the accent marks when required. I had to go to google translate to type the correct word for the Spanish word "yes." I had no idea that I was accidentally having the character saying "if" all along when I meant for them to say "yes." I will have to check back on my chapters to correct my Spanish words.**


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